Sith Politics: Fun and Games
by PlanetSmasher
Summary: A few years after ascending to the top of the Sith hierarchy, a dangerous situation threatens to destroy Nox's position on the Dark Council and ruin his legacy. Follow Darth Nox on his dark, secretive, twisted, and violent quest for greater power. Discover the secret and dark world of Sith Politics. Learn why a Sith's worst enemy is not a Jedi, but another Sith. (Re-edited 04/2017)
1. Chaos, Tragedy, and A Darker Path Chosen

Chaos, Tragedy, and A Darker Path Chosen

Andronikos cursed under his breath, "_Oh crap!_"

He locked the controls and quickly left his pilot's seat the moment Darth Nox and Lord Ashara began quarreling. A few years ago, he'd learned - _the hard way_ \- to get the hell out of their way whenever they began to argue. Because of his rage against Ashara, Nox had used The Force to throw _Andronikos_ out of his pilot's seat, and then slammed _him_ into the bulkhead.

Andronikos didn't want to have to rebuild the ship droid - _again_ \- either. It was a lot of work reconstructing 2V-R8, after Nox had demolished it three years ago.

* * *

Three years ago, the droid had become one of the many victims of Nox's frustrations. Back then, Lord Ashara had refused a mission to assassinate a delegation of Jedi visiting Hutta. These Jedi were on an _actual_ humanitarian mission.

Five years earlier, millions of Republic settlers had escaped Taris on overcrowded starships, in the final weeks of the Empire's assault on Taris. During the assault on Olaris Spaceport, as the masses of Republic settlers evacuated the planet, the Galactic Republic government's resolve to rebuild and resettle the ruined world had been broken. They had abandoned Taris to the Sith Empire.

Among the ten million evacuees fleeing to different worlds, a group of several thousand Cathar had fled to Hutta in desperation. On Hutta, the Cathar people had become virtual slaves. Five years later, Darth Nox had learned of a Jedi delegation that had gone to Hutta to negotiate with the Hutts on behalf of the Galactic Republic. They wanted to relocate the Cathar to Republic aligned worlds.

It was then, in Darth Nox's office, Ashara had refused an order to interfere with their mission, and had also refused an order to assassinate the four member Jedi delegation.

She spoke tactfully, but resolutely, "My lord, I have not shrunk from the task of killing Jedi, before. But in those instances, those Jedi were saboteurs, spies, and Jedi I felt that threatened _my_ vision of bringing peace to the galaxy."

Nox scoffed at her, "_Peace?_ When will you ever acknowledge that peace is a lie, Ashara!"

Ashara answered her husband, "My lord, I believe that after the Sith Empire has defeated and conquered the Galactic Republic, the galactic wars will come to an end. Then we shall be largely at peace in the galaxy."

Nox, at the edge of his fury, told her, "Ashara. For the last time, obey me! Go, now!"

Ashara answered resolutely, "My lord, I obey your will in many things. But in this, I will not. They seek only to ease the suffering of a few people. These Jedi pose no threat to the Empire with their mission."

On hearing her defiance to him, Darth Nox had flown into a rage and instantly began attacking his ship droid as it happened to approach him to deliver a message. Nox tore the droid apart as Ashara fled from the Dark Lord's presence, and out of his offices at The Sphere of Ancient Knowledge, in Kaas City.

* * *

Andronikos hadn't known any of the circumstances that had led to Nox wrecking his droid three years earlier, but he did know he didn't want to have to rebuild the droid a second time.

He ordered the ship droid in a low but urgent tone, "2V-R8, stand by in the Engineering Department. Now! Quickly!"

As Andronikos made his way out of the control bridge, 2V-R8 also rushed for the engineering department as ordered, replying, "Yes, Captain."

Andronikos Revel, a Human, evacuated the bridge and escaped to the common crew section. There he took refuge from the coming storm in the control bridge. As he lounged in a chair, and with nothing better to do since he wasn't piloting the ship, he decided to watch Khem Val and Darth Xalek play a round of Pazaak. The two played as though nothing were amiss.

Watching their Pazaak game was his way of _weathering the storm_ of fury and rage brewing within the control bridge. He'd hoped for the quarrel to end soon, so that he could get back to work. Andronikos wasn't entirely sure the ship was on a course that led it safely out of its orbit over Oricon.

He thought anxiously, "_We shouldn't fly into anything. I hope._" Then in frustration, he thought angrily, "_Damn Ashara, just tell him you won't do whatever it was again, so that he'll shut up! I got to get back at the controls!_"

However, this quarrel had unexpectedly become violent. Andronikos turned in his seat and looked over his shoulder towards the control bridge. He was shocked at the sounds of clashing lightsabers exploding from within the bridge.

He could hear Ashara's plaintive voice over the sounds of the angry lightsabers' own dispute, "My lord...!"

A series of lightsaber clashes followed.

"Do not turn your hatred towards me!"

Another series of lightsaber clashes followed.

"I'm doing my best to serve your will without compromising my teachings!"

Andronikos winced as Darth Nox's rage filled voice returned with, "I will hear no more of your blasphemous Jedi teachings!"

Another round of violent saber clashes exploded from within the bridge. The unmistakable sounds of lightsabers cutting into the metal cabinets, the bulkheads (the walls in a ship), and the ship's deck caused Andronikos to jump to his feet.

He faced in the direction of the control bridge thinking in dismay, _"What the hell are they doing to my ship?!"_

* * *

In the control bridge, Darth Nox, a Sith Pureblood in his mid thirties, with black hair done in a flamboyant top-knot which stuck out of the back of his partially shaved pate, battled his reluctant apprentice, former Jedi and wife of seven years, Ashara Zavros of the Togruta species. He battered her to the deck of his modified Fury class Interceptor spacecraft. His rage against her had never been as severe as this.

His spies had discovered that rumors were spreading amongst his servants within his powerbase, and worse, among the other members of the Dark Council.

He roared at her, spittle spraying from his mouth, as he brought down his sabrestaff repeatedly with all of his fury, "This has happened because you keep insisting you're a _Jedi!_" He suddenly paused his assault to drive home his point, "Get it through your thick skull! _You are a Lord of The Sith!_"

He was determined to beat that lesson into her, as he renewed his attack.

Ashara blocked, parried, deflected, and dodged four rapid and vicious attacks.

She shouted pleadingly, "My Lord...!"

Lightsaber clashes followed.

"Do not believe the lies your enemies have invented!"

Followed by more lightsaber clashes.

It was rumored that Nox had not only failed to turn his captured Jedi to the Dark Side, but that Ashara had been leading him on with silly notions of changing the powerful Imperial government into a weakened egalitarian form of government, with rights and freedoms for the _non-sith_ and the undeserving.

Darth Nox was beside himself with humiliation and rage. Humiliation, because it was true that he'd failed to turn Ashara to the Dark Side of The Force, and rage because the rumors depicted him as having been dominated by Ashara's _Jedi trickery_.

Nox raged at Ashara, pointing at her face with his finger, "These lies are true, so long as you call yourself _Jedi!_"

He had backed Ashara into a corner of the control bridge. He executed a spinning attack with his sabrestaff.

Ashara leapt over him, as his sabrestaff cut into the bulkheads, creating showers of sparks, but she kept low to avoid hitting the overhead (or ceiling). She rolled to the center of the control bridge deck, thus escaping his trap and regaining distance from Nox as she turned to face him with lightsabers ablaze in each hand.

Ashara was unsettled. She'd never seen her husband and lord so unhinged before. Her visions of the future, which she'd been having for the last three years, were finally becoming reality, and her heart pounded with the realization that she knew what would follow.

* * *

Andronikos had been standing in front of his seat facing the hatchway to the ship's control bridge. He agonized over the havoc those two were creating on _his_ ship.

He thought to himself in disbelief, "_Damn! They're really fighting in there! That argument got out of hand, fast!_" Then in frustration, he exclaimed to Xalek and Khem, "They're gonna wreck the damned ship!"

When he didn't get a reply from either of them, he turned to look back and was shocked to find that the two had already withdrawn from the game table and were rushing to their respective quarters.

Andronikos thought to himself, "_Damn! What the hell am I standing here for?!_"

He made a break for his own bunk. As he rushed to his own quarters, the fierce clashing of the sabers had suddenly ended. He felt a sickening feeling grow in his gut as he walked quickly to his quarters.

He though to himself, "_The fight's over?_"

In his gut, however, he felt something wasn't right. Andronikos faintly heard Darth Nox's worry filled voice coming from the control bridge as he came to a stop just outside of his quarters.

"Ashara! _Ashara?!_" Then, "WHAT... HAVE... I... DOOOOOOOONE?!"

A furious storm of lightning suddenly raged within the control bridge, which then spilled out into the common crew section.

His heart racing, Andronikos watched as multiple bolts of Lightning arced from the overhead to the deck of the common crew space. His stomach lurched as he watched lightning blast the lounge seat he'd been sitting in not a moment before. He could barely hear Darth Nox's anguished cries over the sounds of arcing lightning and exploding control consoles in the control bridge and the common crew space.

Andronikos shook his head in disbelief as he thought to himself, "_He actually killed Ashara!_"

He also realized he was going to have a lot of repair work ahead of him, but he had no idea how bad the damage was about to get.

* * *

Standing just outside of his quarters, Andronikos shook his head in disgust as the fire alarms began to sound off and acrid black smoke began to pour from the control bridge. He felt some relief, however, when the fire suppression system kicked into action, nodding his satisfaction when 2V-R8, an integral part of the fire suppression system, rushed into the control bridge with fire fighting equipment to fight the electrical fire and to conduct damage control activities.

The lightning arcs stopped long enough for Darth Nox to take in a deep breath. Then a new storm of lightning erupted in the control bridge as Nox screamed out his fury and his agonizing grief. The second Force Lightning storm was worse than the first one. The lightning arcs spilled all the way to the passage way on the far rear of the common crew section, almost to the ship's main air lock.

Any relief Andronikos had felt over the situation was replaced with feelings of dread, as he watched the smoke suddenly begin to retrace its path back into the control bridge.

Andronikos was drowned out by the cacaphony of alarms as he cursed aloud, "Oh crap!"

He knew this could only mean one thing, as a new alarm added it's panicked noise to the cacophony of alarms sounding off throughout the ship. The main canopy had cracked and had sprung a big leak. Air was seeping out of the ship through the crack in the main canopy.

Andronikos thought to himself, "_Hell! I'd better do something!_"

The instant he thought that, however, the main canopy shattered explosively and the ship's atmosphere let out a terrifying howl as it escaped into space. The ship began to suffer explosive decompression.

However, the terrifying howl of thousands of cubic feet per second of the ship's atmosphere vacuuming out through the shattered canopy, and into space, became less terrifying as the ship's automatic systems kicked in. Blast doors came down, separating sections of the ship, and barrier force shields went up where the shattered canopy used to be, preserving the remaining air.

The very loud hissing sound of compressed auxiliary air, restoring air pressure in the crew spaces, was welcomed relief to Andronikos. In a short time, the air pressure returned to normal, and Andronikos' popped ears also returned to normal.

Andronikos took note that the ship's fire suppression system and the environmental control system both worked flawlessly. The tension began to leave Andronikos' shoulders as the blast doors began to reopen, retreating into the overhead, and the alarms became silent, one by one.

He thought to himself, _"__Well, now I don't have to run tests to see if those work. They just did._"

Andronikos turned his head at the movement at the corner of his eye. He'd found that Khem and Xalek had appeared once again, emerging from and standing just outside of their respective quarters. The three of them all returned their attention to the control bridge entryway as the Dark Lord of the Sith finally emerged.

Andronikos wondered for the first time since the chaos began, "_Are we next?_"

* * *

Darth Nox emerged from the bridge filled with pure hatred, seething in unbridled rage, and drowning in crushing grief. Darth Nox made a low growling noise as he dragged Ashara's limp and partially severed body, leaving a heavy trail of her blood and other bodily fluids on the deck. His low growl was like the sound of a fierce predator that had suffered a terrible wound.

Darth Nox, his shoulders stooped and his face twisted by his pitch black emotions, seemed to drag himself as well as his late wife to an airlock. He stood for a moment, staring at the controls, as though he'd briefly forgotten what it was that he'd intended.

After a moment of staring absently, Nox finally used his free hand to manipulate the controls to open the inner hatch. His low _wounded animal growl_ became a furiously anguished roar as he used The Force to assist in throwing his late wife's body into the airlock, but he did it with such power, that its impact against the outer hatch could be felt reverberating throughout the ship. It sounded as if an overgrown giant rancor had banged against the ship's outer hull with a huge boulder.

Then, he stepped into the airlock himself and faced the airlock controls. After staring at the controls in contemplation, and hesitating for a good while, he stepped back out of the airlock, deciding to take the darker path. The power of the Dark Side flowed through him like it had never done before. He'd sought that power for many years. Now, here, he'd finally obtained it.

Darth Nox shut the hatch, then activated the purge system. Ashara's lifeless corpse tumbled out into space. Nox leaned against the inner hatch, sobbing. After a few moments, he turned about slowly and made eye contact with Andronikos Revel.

Andronikos had never felt fear of another man in his life, but right then, he felt that he was in the presence of a demon, not a man, and it gave him pause. He felt the crushing pressure of Nox's monstrous hate filled aura becoming worse with each step Nox took towards him. He'd felt this aura from Nox many times in the past, but it was never like this.

Darth Nox, panting for air, stopped a few paces from where Andronikos struggled to remain standing, leaning back against the bulkhead for support. Nox's face had lost much of the darkness that had twisted it into a facade of hatred only a moment before. However, Andronikos could still feel the crush of his Dark Side aura. He felt cursed as Nox spoke his name.

"Andronikos."

Andronikos, sweat pouring inside his tunic and running down his temples, down his brow and into his eyes, fought to keep his cool and to keep breathing as he replied cautiously, "Yeah...?" He gulped, then added, "_Boss_?"

Darth Nox spoke in a low, harsh breathy tone, still out of breath, "The control bridge needs repairs... The controls seem to be damaged... Find us...," He paused for a few breaths, and then continued, "... Find us an Imperial Navy space port..., a port with repair facilities to take care if it."

Andronikos had somehow mustered the strength to reply, "Sure, Boss."

Andronikos fought the fog of demonic hatred, emanating from Nox, which threatened to smother his mind as he surveyed the scorch marks on the overhead, the bulkheads, the deck, and the ruined furniture of the common crew space. Andronikos fought to keep his sense of humor, as he thought to himself, "_Just the control bridge, eh?_"

* * *

Darth Nox, just starting to breath normally, addressed his only remaining apprentice, again in a low, winded tone, "Darth Xalek."

Xalek could feel the crushing black darkness and hatred pouring from his master. He knelt before his lord and intoned ever so reverently, "Yes, Dark Master? How may I serve thee?"

Darth Nox replied, as some strength returned to his voice, "I want you to contact whomever is in charge of Taris these days and start inquiring about captured Republic bases. Find out whether any ancient artifacts have been located in any of them."

"Is there something in particular you are searching for, lord?" Xalek asked.

Darth Nox replied, "For now, I will keep the particulars to myself. Just start inquiring."

Xalek replied, "As you decree, my dark master."

Xalek stood, turned, and walked to the conference room without another word to begin his task.

Darth Xalek was Nox's apprentice whom Nox had obtained from the Sith Academy on Korriban. He was a Kaleesh male. He served and worshiped Nox as a living god. It was the way of his people's culture to worship the most powerful warriors.

Xalek was, himself, worshiped as a living god among his Kaleesh peoples. His exploits in battle were all well known to them. Xalek however, knew that he was leagues below his master in terms of power and control of The Force, but he always gleaned new knowledge from his master every chance he got, and became stronger every time.

Now his master required him to find an ancient relic. No doubt it was one of immense power or containing forgotten dark knowledge. He wanted to find it and use it himself before turning it over to his master. Xalek hoped to one day defeat his master and truly become a god among the living. He was deeply awed by Nox's great power and basked in Nox's crushing hate filled aura. He rejoiced inwardly, for Darth Nox, as he witnessed his master reach a new level of darkness and might in the Dark Side of The Force.

* * *

Darth Nox turned to make his way to his own quarters, but stopped in his tracks after only a few steps.

He turned his head to face Khem Val and said, "I could feel your malevolence all the way from here, Khem Val." Then with irritation edging his tired low voice, he asked, "What do you want from me?"

Khem Val scratched the back of his head as though he had second thoughts about what he'd wanted to ask.

After a short but perceptible pause, Khem shrugged his massive shoulders as he thought to himself, "_Why should I fear to ask?_" Aloud, Khem Val said to his master, "Master, long have I wished to eat _that one_. Let me get her corps, so that I may feast on it."

Andronikos took a big leaping step into his quarters and shut the hatch. He shook his head in disbelief as he allowed himself to sink to the deck in his quarters. He didn't have the strength to remain standing in the face of Nox's crushing dark aura. He rolled onto his back and held the palm of his hand firmly to his mouth to suppress his laughter.

He was struck with great mirth as he thought to himself, "_Khem, you insane monster, you!_"

Darth Nox now turned fully to face Khem Val and walked towards him.

Khem thought to himself, "_At last! The moment of my freedom has come!_"

He was about to reach for his weapon, but hesitated when Nox stopped in his own tracks. Nox had barely mastered his fury.

In a low, shaky, rage-filled voice, he told Khem Val, "Go...! Go out the airlock..., to get her corps..., if you want it..., _that badly!_"

Khem Val bowed respectfully as he replied in a tone that showed both his gratitude and his deep appreciation for what he believed was Nox's largess, "Thank you, my master. I shall relish this meal!"

Andronikos had been waiting in his quarters for a new battle to erupt inside the ship, but it remained silent. After a while, when he found it easier to move, he'd gotten up and opened the hatch to his quarters and stuck his head out. Andronikos' jaw dropped in amazement as he watched Khem, in his spacesuit and compact jetpack, entering the airlock. Nox had apparently granted Khem's request, and had already gone into his own quarters and shut the hatch.

Khem Val was a Dashade male with green skin adorned with tattoos, whose meaning was lost to all except other surviving Dashade. He was a hulking behemoth of a beast that subsisted on the flesh of those sensitive to The Force. In short, the Dashade hunted, killed and ate Jedi, Sith, and anyone else sensitive to The Force.

Years before, when Darth Nox explored the tombs of Korriban as a mere acolyte, he'd come across this Dashade and fought it in a furious battle to keep from becoming its food. Since Nox had prevailed, the Dashade furiously relented and regretfully bound himself to Nox's service as was the custom of the Dashade species.

Khem Val vowed to him then, "I serve you now, little sith, but one day I shall become strong. I shall break my bonds to you and shall feast on your delicious throat!"

Sith powerful enough to subdue a Dashade were vanishingly rare, as were the Dashade themselves. When Nox returned to the Sith Academy from the tombs with Khem Val in tow, he was regarded with great awe by many of his peers. However, his rivals and enemies, who'd scoffed and mocked him before, began to fear and respect him instead.

* * *

Earlier, when Nox's and Ashara's quarrel started to get really bad, Talos' sixth sense told him to start saving whatever relics he could. He'd loaded some very old but very well preserved relics – _possibly predating the Sith era_ – that he'd unearthed while on Oricon into an escape pod. Then he got into the pod himself to wait out their argument.

When their argument turned into a lightsaber battle, Talos thought he'd have to launch the escape pod to save himself and the precious artifacts. As far as he knew, Nox and Ashara had never been violent with each other before.

Talos wondered to himself, as he rested his hand on the launch button, "_Will this be our end?_"

He could feel Nox's putrid dark aura all the way from where he sat in the escape pod.

Talos Drellik was a Human who served as a captain in the Imperial Army. He served in the branch known as the _Imperial Reclamation Service_. In essence, Talos was a military archaeologist.

Talos served Nox by conducting archaeological digs and studying ancient Sith and Jedi ruins, relics, artifacts, etc. Talos had a long and distinguished career before he'd met Darth Nox, but his reputation among his fellow archaeologists and academicians only grew under his direct service to Darth Nox.

A long while later, in the escape pod, after the alarms had stopped sounding, Talos had gotten a call from Xalek to join him in the conference room.

Talos said, "Darth Xalek, it sounded pretty bad for a while there." Then he asked, hesitantly, "Is it... _done?_"

Xalek replied, "It is. Do not say anything to our lord, for now. It might re-ignite his rage. Now, hurry here. We have much work to do."

Talos had yet to learn of Ashara's demise, but Xalek's failure to mention Ashara made him fear the worst for her. He genuinely liked her.

* * *

Darth Nox's vile, hate filled aura had receded, and Andronikos, sensing that the coast was clear, confirmed that Khem Val had returned to the ship before he made his way to the ship's Engineering Department. There, with the aid of the ship droid, Andronikos used the back up navigation systems to pilot the ship back to it's last port of call, an Imperial Navy orbital station with repair facilities in orbit over Ilum. The Imperial Naval station, orbiting the planet, boasted state of the art repair facilities. It was where the Imperial Fleet, operating in the region, made repairs for minor to moderate battle damage.

After fierce fighting, some years before, the Republic finally acquiesced and largely conceded Ilum to the Empire – _for the time being_. The Jedi had vowed to, one day, return. The Sith Empire took that vow very seriously, and bulked up their forces on and around Ilum, in preparation for the Jedis' eventual return.

* * *

Darth Nox, alone in his stateroom, was reeling from his emotional imbalance. He was, at once, furious and in mourning. He was filled with hatred, at himself, and filled with fear of his enemies moving against him.

He reveled in the power of the Dark Side, which flowed through him at that moment like it had never done before, but he was also filled with terrible regret for what he'd done. He had killed his wife! He loved, and he hated, Ashara.

She was the mother of his children, and she was his first apprentice, albeit very stubborn and headstrong. Now she was dead, made into food for his Dashade servant, Khem Val. He reproached himself bitterly for allowing it, and it fueled his Dark Side power even more.

Nox thought of his two small children, four and five years in age living in Kaas City, and wondered how he would break the news to them. Would they hate their father for killing their mother? Or would they instead be filled with crippling fear of him? Would it make them stronger in the Dark Side of The Force? Or would their spirit break, leaving them useless as heirs?

He wanted them to become stronger in the Dark Side before sending them to Korriban for their trials in ten or twelve years. However, he anguished over whether this news would fill them with empowering hatred or destructive fear. Nox shook his head as he struggled with his doubts, his fears, and his self hatred.

Thinking of Korriban reminded him that the Dark Council also resided on Korriban. Nox realized that for the first time in his career, as a member of the Dark Council, his position was threatened. He'd been blindsided by these rumors, and the derogatory whisperings within _his own_ powerbase was becoming widespread.

There was no doubt his rivals were already moving to discredit him and were already working to have him removed from the Dark Council. He would need a powerful new ally to help him beat back his enemies on the Dark Council, both through careful political maneuvering and, if need be, with his sabrestaff. For that reason, he ordered Xalek to start his search.


	2. Ilum Orbital Space Station For Repairs

Ilum Orbital Space Station For Repairs

Ilum's orbital space station had grown into a massive structure that could easily be seen from Ilum's surface, brighter than any star in the night sky, when Ilum's star shown on it. It now regularly serviced battle damaged warships and had an impeccable reputation for efficiency, accurate estimates of costs for repairs, and excellent speed of service. Andronikos, however, was rather displeased with what he'd been told.

As Ship's Captain, Andronikos ran Nox's ship and maintained all of its systems. So, this wouldn't be the first time he'd have to worry over extensive damage to Nox's ship. Although in times past, the damage had always been done to the_ outside of the ship_, to the ship's hull, as it took turbo-laser blast damage. Andronikos had also overseen major repairs to other ships that he'd commanded in the past.

Before Nox had found him, he was a notorious pirate with a vicious reputation and a vicious temper that justified his reputation. He had also gained extensive knowledge and experience in assessing the damage done to his ships and what it would take to make repairs to them after each raid he and his crew had executed.

Now he served Darth Nox, not only as his ship's Captain, but as Nox's connection to the criminal underworld. Andronikos had retained some impressive connections there from his pirating days. All of this experience told him that he had nothing but bad news to break to Darth Nox, who'd been sitting on a couch in his guest suite aboard the space dock waiting for Andronikos' report.

Andronikos started the dialog hesitantly, "Um... Boss?"

Darth Nox knew, right off, from the way that Andronikos had approached him that he was about to get bad news, but he asked anyway, "What is it, Andronikos? Is it about the ship?"

Andronikos replied, "Uh... Yeah, Boss. It is. The damage to the bridge is complete. You really did a real fine job of wrecking it pretty damned well. You hammered the crew deck pretty good, too. Not to mention all of the systems, wiring, and machinery in the bulkheads, overhead, and under the decks, too." He chuckled as though he'd told a joke. Then he went on, "The good news is, it can be fixed. The bad news is, it's all special order parts. Your ship is pretty rare, so they have to wait for parts."

He could see in Nox's expression that he was about to say something along the lines of, "_I am a Dark Lord on the Dark Council. Make them hurry and get the parts!_"

Andronikos headed him off at the pass by quickly adding, "I told them who's ship it is, and that you were in a tearing hurry to get going again. They said they could get you to anywhere in the galaxy that you need to be on one of the local fleets' transports, whenever you wanted to get going.

"It's just that not only would they need to special order the equipment from Tandankin Shipyards, which builds your ship class, but Tandankin Shipyards has to _actually fabricate the parts_ \- it's all special ordered. Then they have to wait for the parts to be transported – to here, before they could even start the repairs. They say three months for all of that to happen."

Darth Nox bolted to his feet, and pointing a very dangerous finger at Andronikos' face, was about to let him have a scathing earful of, "_I can't wait that long!_" However, he mastered his rage and paused as he lowered his hand.

Andronikos flinched, thinking he was about to get a face full of lightning.

After a time to recover his temper, Nox resumed his seat and finally spoke, saying, "The Fury Interceptor is as common a ship as the Imperial Navy has. How can they _not_ have the parts I need, here?"

Andronikos managed to keep his cool as he reminded Nox, "Boss, your ship is heavily modified. There's nothing standard about _your_ Fury Interceptor. It's _all_ special ordered stuff."

Nox did not like that answer either, but killing Imperial officers wouldn't get his ship fixed any faster, he realized.

Instead Nox said, "Make arrangements for me to travel to Taris on one of their transports. In the meantime, you stay here and see to the ship's repairs. When it's done, find me on Taris, or wherever I'll have gone to by then."

Andronikos, having recovered his composure, replied, "Yes sir, Boss."

Andronikos refused to call Darth Nox, _Master._ He felt that a master was someone you served until you were used up and discarded, and that a boss was someone you could quit working for and leave anytime you wanted to. He'd made that distinction _very clear_ to Darth Nox years before when he'd first come into his service. Nox had said nothing at the time. He'd merely nodded his head at Andronikos' assertions, as though he'd understood where Andronikos was coming from.

Andronikos could tell, right then, that leaving Nox's service would mean a life or death adventure of evading and escaping his employment to Darth Nox. It didn't bother Andronikos too much, however. A pirate's life was like that anyway. A pirate couldn't _just quit_ his gang without a few issues popping up, either.

He turned about and walked out of Nox's suite to see to the ship's repairs. He was glad for the excuse to get out of Nox's presence.

He thought to himself, "_Damn these Sith and their tempers!_"

He laughed at himself, when he remembered he had quite an anger management issue, himself.

Earlier, when Andronikos had been told it would be three months for the repairs to get done, he quickly put a blaster barrel muzzle to the lips of the repair facilities chief and gave a solemn promise to deliver his postmortem apologies to Darth Nox for taking too long. That got the facilities chief to promise the work done in two months instead of three.

However, even as Andronikos holstered his blaster, accepting the facilities chief's pledge to have it all done in two months, he knew it was an empty promise. There was no telling how long before Tandankin Shipyards would _make the time_ to fabricate the parts and have them shipped to Ilum. Three months was already an optimistic estimate.

Andronikos knew he'd only bought himself a few months to figure out how to get Nox's ship up and running again. He knew that waiting for Tandankin Shipyards was not the way to go. He started to think about what he'd need to get the heat under their asses as he returned to the hanger bay housing Nox's wrecked ship. He also began planning for his exodus from Nox's service, in case he couldn't get the ship up and running in time.


	3. Imperial Settlement Number One

Imperial Settlement Number One

Darth Komo was re-reading a report from one of his subordinates. He was becoming increasingly frustrated with the repeated setbacks he'd been suffering at the hands of the local rebels. They were supported by Republic Commandos operating behind the scenes. Yet the irony of his situation gave him a reason to laugh ruefully as he set the report down. He shook his head in disgust.

Komo, a rotund Human in his mid fifties and greying hair and male pattern baldness, stood from his desk and walked to his holo-terminal. Dialing a comm frequency gave him the apprentice of one of his subordinate Sith Lords instead of his subordinate directly. That irked him greatly.

Darth Komo said menacingly, "Vulgren, get your master on." Then he growled out, "This instant!"

The apprentice, bowing deeply, nearly exclaimed in a startled voice, "At once, Darth Komo!"

Then he vanished from view of the holo-projector.

Lord Frennus, appearing shortly afterward asked his master, "My lord, how may I serve?"

Darth Komo regarded his servant with eyes as cold, as empty, and as hollow as that of a dead and dried out fish. He kept silent for a time as he thought about what he might do to his servant for his latest failure.

Lord Frennus sweated under his robes. He knew his days were coming to a close, but he kept silent. It was the single best tactic that he had ever exercised, because it saved his life - _this time_.

Darth Komo said, "I have just finished reading your convoluted report on your failure to locate and eradicate the Republic Commandos operating illegally here. I was going to kill you, but I've thought of a better use for you."

Frennus sighed, imperceptibly, his great relief. Frennus, a thinly built fastidious Human in his late thirties with light brown hair, wide sideburns, and bushy mustache, knew he had to use care with his next reply. Because,_ this time_, he had to speak.

He said, "My lord, Darth Komo, I'm chagrined that you found my report lacking. I assure you I am doing the very best I can with the fodder I've been provided to do the job. These troops are better fit for setting off mines and for digging their own graves rather than for searching out and destroying crack Republic Forces. I have stated this before. However, I understand your frustration. I know your patience is nearing its end, but I _will_ redouble my efforts."

Sweat rolled down his temples as he waited for what was next. It worried him greatly when Komo gave a mirthless chuckle in response to his excuses.

However, to Frennus' astonishment and great relief, Darth Komo said, "I was once in a similar predicament as you are now. That is why I have sent you two teams of Imperial Black Ops to add to your arsenal of - _grave diggers_. I'll give you thirty days to get results. However, this will be your last opportunity to get those results." He concluded in a menacing tone, "Do you understand?"

Lord Frennus replied in an upbeat tone, "With the addition of these Black Ops teams, I'll surely achieve favorable results, my lord."

Then, remembering that Darth Komo had _'thought of a better use for him'_, asked, "My lord Darth Komo, you said you had something for me to do?" He wondered to himself, "_Is it going to be another suicide mission?_"

Darth Komo said, "Yes. I do. This is another opportunity for you to get yourself killed if you should fail."

Darth Komo kept silent for a moment to let that last statement sink in to his subordinate's head.

Frennus thought, "_I knew it! A suicidal mission. Heh! I'll just send my apprentice to do it._"

Komo was saying, "Darth Nox of the Dark Council is on Taris. He's on his way to my offices to ask me for resources to help him find something. I'm going to give you to him."

Frennus was taken aback. His reaction showed his deep shock. Komo was amused by Frennus' facial expression. On the very, very rare occasions that Komo ever smiled, it was a very frightening thing to see, and Frennus felt himself unfortunate to be the one to see it, _this time_. The image that came to mind was that of the viciously wild predator, the Nexu.

Komo's grin was all teeth and no mirth as he said, "Lord Frennus, don't disappoint Darth Nox. He is not as cheery nor as understanding as I am."

Komo cut the transmission.

No sooner had he cut the transmission than his personal droid reported, "My lord, Darth Nox is in the building and is being escorted to your office. Refreshments are already on their way here. Shall I open the door and greet him?"

Darth Komo said, "Open the door, but I shall greet him. Be especially polite to him as you serve him the refreshments, should he ask for any."

The droid replied, "Yes, Master."

During his conversation with Frennus, Komo left out the fact that he'd himself feared that Nox had come for his own head. His idiot master, Darth Acina, also on the Dark Council, got it in her hair-brained head to clean Taris up and resettle it for the Empire.

Now here he was suffering as the Republic sabotaged his efforts, even as his predecessor, Darth Gravus, ruined the Republic's campaign to clean Taris up for their own resettlement efforts. He hoped that this thing Darth Nox wanted was all that was on his mind, and that he would not be made to give Nox an accounting of the Empire's own languishing resettlement efforts.

The droid walked to the door and opened it, then bowed deeply as Darth Nox walked passed it. The droid straitened up again as Khem Val walked in behind his master. Behind Khem Val, Darth Nox's ship droid, 2V-R8, entered silently and took up a station just inside and to one side of the door. 2V-R8 remained there, quietly recording the meeting. Darth Komo was on his feet in front of his desk.

Bowing solemnly, he greeted the Dark Councilor, "Welcome to Taris, my dark lord, Darth Nox. It is a singular honor you pay me by visiting my offices here to speak to me in person. I am truly privileged. How may I serve you, Dark Lord?"

He straightened up and then pointed to some comfortable looking chairs and a small table near a window that gave a nice view of a landscape that had been cleared of the wreckage of Taris. The wreckage of ruined buildings, warped streets, and twisted infrastructure beyond the settlement's low walls, had been replaced with a beautifully healthy forest. Faintly, low on the very distant horizon, like very distant mountains, was the wreckage of Taris' ruined cityscape that waited to be cleared.

Nox walked to the chairs and sat in one. Darth Komo sat in the chair on the opposite side of the small table as a refreshment droid brought assorted fruits, cheeses, and various beverages imported from off-world, and waited to be ordered to serve something. Khem Val, having scanned the droid, and its tray of refreshments as it passed by him, stayed in front of Darth Komo's desk and remained vigilant. He kept a wary eye on Komo from there.

Komo asked Nox, "Dark Lord, would you care for a libation? I have fresh fruits and various cheeses, pastries, and beverages. Hopefully we'll have something here to suit your tastes."

Darth Nox said, "Someone must have hated you very badly to have stuck you with this job."

Komo was careful not to speak ill of his Dark Council master, Darth Acina. Instead he said, "Yet, with success will come great rewards."

Nox replied deadpan, "And with failure comes death – more often than not."

Komo felt the pressure of Nox's seemingly casual observation, but he maintained a calm facade and replied, "I find myself in an unenviable position today, but tomorrow, I hope to have turned it around for the glory of the Empire."

Nox remained silent. Without meaning to, Komo had just revealed that he was having difficulties with his mission. The look that flashed on Komo's face, and was gone an instant later, told Nox that Komo had realized his mistake, too late.

Nox didn't think the resettlement project would work out, not without serious considerable effort from the Empire. With its resources stretched thin from its expanding war with the Republic, he didn't see how the Empire could expend such an effort here.

Breaking the silence, and wishing to deflect any inquiries into his revelation of difficulties, Komo said, "Dark Lord, you said you were in search of something here on Taris. How can I help you find it, aside from providing you with resources?"

Nox wasted no time and got to the point.

"I want access to every bit of data you have on anything and everything relating to Taris. Everything relating to the Republic on Taris, the Empire on Taris, any archaeological digs, artifacts, ancient legends, patrol reports, the security logs for every installation – past and present, every warehouse inventory log for every warehouse, Republic and Imperial – past and present. Anything and everything, if it's data, I want it."

Never mind that what Nox had asked for was monumentally difficult, if not impossible, Komo realized it would also mean revealing the difficulties he was having on Taris to a Dark Councilor. He tried to prevent such a revelation by offering to help.

"Perhaps if my dark lord could give an indication of what it is you seek, I can help narrow it down for you?"

Nox looked thoughtful for a bit, then said, "If I need that, I'll ask for it later. For now, just give me what I asked for."

Komo leaned back in his chair, and sighed. He said, "That will be a very great undertaking. It will take a lot of time and a lot of droids to get it done. This data is not all housed in one location. It's scattered at various data-centers throughout Taris and at the orbital space station. I'll have it all gathered, organized and uploaded to your ship's computer, but I don't know how long something like that will take, Dark Lord."

Nox's facial expression darkened at the mention of his ship.

He said with obvious annoyance, "Take your time, Lord Komo. My ship isn't here, yet. I arrived via military transport."

Komo was curious, but he decided not to ask. Nox's deep irritation at discussing his ship made Komo realize it was a sore subject.

Instead he said, "Very well, Dark Lord."

Nox looked out the window. Looking at the very distant ruins of the Taris city-world beyond the forest reminded him of his time, years before, on Taris. Nox felt nostalgic.

He asked Komo, "How much of the planet has been cleaned up like this?" Nox waved his hand at the window, through which he looked at the lush forests. Then he added, "From space it looks the same as it did a few years ago when I helped you with your power station problems."

Komo winced at the comment. He'd hoped Nox would not remember that embarrassing time in his own career.

To cover his embarrassment, he spoke in a proud tone, declaring to Nox, "Fifteen percent of the planet's surface has had the wreckage removed from it. The scrap has been recycled and sent off as raw materials for the war effort. One third of the cleared surface, where the wreckage has been removed, is now barren dirt.

"That is because the toxins have yet to be removed completely from the soil, Dark Lord. However, the remaining two thirds of the cleared surface is wild green forests and grasslands - as you can see, outside the city walls. Finally, Dark Lord, we have built and populated six large settlements within the forested areas, this city being one of them."

Nox, feigning surprise, replied, "That's _all_ you've managed to get done?"

Komo labored to maintain his composure as he reminded Nox, "Our roles have been reversed. It is _we_ who are trying to clean up this dump, while the Republic plays the spoiler. They're using all of the same old tricks we used against them - but on _us_."

Nox nodded, recalling his roll in playing some of those old tricks on the Republic, and observed, "Those tricks were quite effective, too. So, you _are_ having trouble."

Komo cursed himself. He hadn't realized how easy it was for him to be provoked into spilling his own guts. Then he remembered that before Nox was a Dark Lord on the Dark Council, he was an Inquisitor. Nox interrogated captives and prisoners for a living.

He realized dissimulation here could be a fatal mistake. So, he decided to become bold instead and impulsively spoke.

"Searching through all of that data is likely to take weeks, if not months. I suppose you'll get bored to tears during that time, Darth Nox. If you wish, please lend a hand with our efforts here."

Khem Val shifted his weight from one foot to the other. His face twitched as irritation surged through his being, but he remained silent.

Nox's weak smile did not reach his cold eyes as he replied, "I think your master will then owe me a favor. I'd like that very much, but perhaps before asking for my help, you should get permission from your master on the Dark Council. Don't you think so?"

Komo, closing his eyes, bowed and shook his head side to side, slowly. He cursed himself as he realized his error - again too late!

He thought to himself, "_Clearly, I've been too far away from the center of Sith politics. I'm making too many clumsy mistakes!_"

He rested his face in the palm of his hand and said, "Forgive me, Dark Lord, I have stepped out of line. I will seek permission before asking your aid."

However, Komo concluded that the Nexu was already out of the bag.

"_No sense in holding back now,_" Komo thought to himself.

He persisted, proposing to Darth Nox, "But if permission is denied me, I hope that - _if the mood strikes you_, that you'll volunteer your strength of your own accord. It will be for the glory of the Empire."

Khem Val was incensed at Komo's daring.

He exploded, "I shall feast on your flesh and crunch your bones between my teeth if you do not remember your place!" Then turning to Nox, he begged, "Master, give the word, and I shall devour this fat one!"

To Khem Val's great disappointment, Darth Nox waived him off.

When Nox had returned his attention to Komo, Nox rolled his eyes and said, "If you're going to make me feel guilty, I'll do it."

Komo was deeply relieved and promptly showed his gratitude, "My dark lord, I am in your debt. If anything ever comes to mind for anything that I can do for you, tell me and I'll do it."

Nox said, "I'll remember you said that and hold you to it."

Komo, speaking earnestly, replied, "I look forward to the day I can settle my debt to you, Dark Lord."

Nox, smiling like an apparition about to possess a poor condemned soul, said, "It's just like old times. Isn't it, Darth Komo?"

Komo only smiled back weakly, in return, finally recalling a debt he still owed the dark lord, when Nox had helped him with his 'embarrassing power station problem' a few years ago.

Nox got back to business, saying, "You told me via holo that you would make someone available to me for my search."

Komo, glad that the unpleasantness about his difficulties on Taris was behind him, said, "Yes, Darth Nox. I make available to you Lord Frennus. He's leading the charge against a rabble of local resistance groups and a few Republic Commandos operating behind the scenes in his sector of responsibility – and having trouble with them. I've just sent him two Imperial Black Ops teams to bolster his forces, but I think he's been having more trouble than he's reported to me..."

Komo did not want to belabor the point of asking for Nox's assistance, so he left it at that.

Nox, having told Komo what he'd wanted and getting it, or at least a pledge to have it delivered, was done speaking to Komo. He got up to leave.

Komo would have liked to hear news from the Dark Council, but he dared not ask. In light of the fact that he had somehow managed to get Nox to look into his troubles, Komo considered himself fortunate to have scored such potent assistance. Komo decided he would worry about the final cost of Nox's assistance later.

He walked Nox out of his offices and escorted him out of the facility's main entrance and to the speeder port. Nox, Khem Val, and 2V-R8 entered the waiting speeder. The speeder then whisked them away.

Nox had been in and out of Komo's offices in less than ten minutes. However, if Komo played his cards right, this could elevate him in the eyes of his subordinates, and in the eyes of his rivals and enemies, as well.


	4. Lord Frennus' Headquarters

Lord Frennus' Headquarters

Darth Komo had contacted Darth Nox, telling him via holo-transmitter, "Dark Lord, I've instructed my apprentice, Lord Frennus, to arrange for quarters for you and your servants. I hope you will find them adequate."

The huge, luxurious condominium didn't have the splendor of his penthouse palace on Dromund Kaas.

"_It's barely adequate,_" Nox thought.

Nox had wanted to see how well he was going to be treated before going to Frennus' headquarters. He took a detour to the luxury residence, before going to the headquarters. He had learned over the years that how lavishly he was showered with gifts, from his potential rivals and enemies, was a telling gauge for how much resistance he would have to deal with from the gift givers.

Already, Darth Nox could tell he was going to have to be extra careful when dealing with these Sith. Darth Komo was one of Darth Acina's people, serving in her Sphere of Technology. Despite Komo's good manners in his office as he hosted Nox, he could see from this heavily veiled insult, that he was not especially welcome on Taris.

Not only did Komo not give him accommodations worthy of his station, specifically a mansion of his own, but they moved him into a condominium. Nox, was terribly offended.

He thought aloud, "_I've been lumped together with commoners as my neighbors._"

To be sure, they were wealthy, powerful industrialists, merchants, shippers, and government officials, but they were commoners.  
_  
_This also left Nox to wonder, "_He didn't expect me to __bunk__ with my servants, too. Did he? Where will my servants stay?_"

Nox had dismissed the droids that were appointed to the third story condominium and told his ship droid, "Sweep this place for bugs, electronic and otherwise. Maintain the security here at all times, and see to my personal needs while I reside here."

2V-R8 replied, "It will be my pleasure, Master. I shall begin immediately." Then, off he went.

Khem Val, having returned from scouting the luxury condominium for assassins, traps, and spying devices, stood before his master and reported, "Master, this hovel is safe. I will scout the rest of this building and learn who lives below you."

Nox, sensing Khem's irritation, replied, "Do not overly inconvenience the occupants. Keep a low profile, for now."

Khem Val replied hotly, "That fat one with the dead eyes should have given you this whole building! You are a Dark Lord on the Dark Council!"

Nox warned his servant, "Khem, don't eat anyone without asking me about it first, understand?"

Resigning himself to postpone his next hunt, Khem Val spoke glumly to his master, "I hope I shall battle soon at your side, my master. I am famished."

Nox, himself suddenly becoming irritated, replied impatiently, "Let us waste no more time here! Let us go to Frennus' offices. You can scout the building later."

"As my master wishes," Khem Val replied, bowing his head.

Nox had decided to make Komo pay for his insolence later, but he quickly put such thoughts on the back burner as he and Khem Val made their way to the condominium's exit.

* * *

Frennus was most anxious. He most dreaded his coming encounter with the Dark Lord, now on his way to his offices. A signal chimed from his holo-projector. Lord Frennus got up from behind his desk and walked out of his office. He walked down the corridor to the lobby of his headquarters and found his military staff already gathered and in formation, as well as his apprentice.

Just as he reached his place in front of his staff, the door slid open and in walked a hulking green beast in heavy armor. He looked the place over briefly, and then stepped to one side. Then, in walked the Dark Lord of The Sith, a member of the Dark Council, and overseer of the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge, Darth Nox.

Lord Frennus stepped forward and bowing deeply, said, "I am deeply honored by your presence, my august Dark Lord. Command me, and I will serve! What is your will?"

Darth Nox snapped testily, "Of course you will serve! What other choice have you? Take me to your office. We will speak there."

Frennus was stung by Nox's brusqueness and stirred uneasily, shifting his weight back and forth slightly from foot to foot, but he replied with reverence in his tone, "This way, my Dark Lord."

Nox effected not to notice Frennus' fidgeting, but instead looked at the Imperial officers in formation and asked, "Are you Black Ops or regular forces?"

The commanding officer, a Human in his late fifties with greying hair, a well kept, bushy mustache, mutton chop sideburns, and clean shaven chin, answered, "My dark lord, Darth Nox, I am Colonel Igus Nann, commanding the 256th Imperial Infantry Brigade."

Nox replied, "Then return to your duties."

Nox quickly forgot the colonel, putting him out of his mind, as he proceeded to follow Frennus to his office.

Colonel Nann replied to Nox's receding back, "As you command, Dark Lord."

He returned to attention and waited for all of the Sith to exit the lobby before commanding his subordinate officers to return to their posts.

Frennus opened the sliding door to his office and stood to one side, to let Nox pass, saying, "Please, enter, Dark Lord."

Nox wasted no time, nor words, and walked straight to the back of Frennus' desk and sat in his chair. Nox, then, immediately began accessing Frennus' computer. Nox, shook his head in the negative, disgust showed on his face.

He thought disapprovingly of Frennus' computer, "_It's not even pass-phrase protected._"

Frennus labored to mask his outrage at Nox's audacity to sit at _his_ desk and rifle through _his_ computer. However, he labored even more to mask his growing fear at what Nox would find. Nox read Frennus' most recent reports and noticed there were several iterations of the same report, with each iteration white-washing the severity of the situation until the final version was so convoluted that, unless you'd read the original version, you'd miss the nuggets of truth buried in the sea of verbiage.

Frennus, drenched in his own sweat, worked to keep his breathing under control. His apprentice was standing quite a ways away from his master, also apprehensive, but not to the extent of his master. Nox was about to speak, but stopped when he noticed that the author of the original report was not Frennus.

Nox asked, "Who is Vulgren?"

Now the apprentice stirred with anguish in his eyes.

He said, "I am, Dark Lord."

Frennus became annoyed that his apprentice answered before he did, but he kept silent.

Nox nodded in realization, having gotten the gist of what was happening.

Looking at Frennus, he asked to confirm his suspicions, "So, your apprentice submits a report to you. Then you rewrite it, and then submit the updated version to your master, Darth Komo. Is that about right?"

Frennus replied, "My apprentice's writing style is too plain, Dark Lor..."

A blinding flash of light accompanied by an ear splitting crack saw to it that Lord Frennus never got to finish what he'd intended to say. Darth Nox, sitting at the late Frennus' desk, lowered his finger and began to softly tap the desk top with it, as he shifted his eyes over to Vulgren.

Nox challenged him, "Your master is dead, Vulgren. What are you going to do about it?"

Vulgren, a Human in his early thirties with light brown hair, turned his eyes down toward the smoldering body of his dead master.

He thought to himself in great awe and in growing fear, "_Killed with a single bolt of Force Lightning from the Dark Lord's finger!_"

Then, returning his eyes to Nox, he said with a slightly quavering voice, "I am unworthy to even consider asking for a promotion, Dark Lord, but until my dead master's post is filled, I shall do what is required until his replacement arrives."

He could see from Darth Nox's expression that the dark lord was dissatisfied with that answer.

Hoping to evade what he felt was his own impending death, Vulgren added, "Unless my dark lord wishes me to return immediately to Darth Komo for reassignment..."

His tone dripping with disdain, Darth Nox said, "For the time being, you are in charge until Darth Komo decides what to do about a replacement for that pile of filth staining the carpet."

Vulgren, suppressing a sigh of relief, only replied, "As you say, Dark Lord." To himself, Vulgren thought, "_I have escaped death._"

Nox, remembering that Khem Val was hungry, shifted his eyes towards him and asked, "Do you want it?"

Khem Val looked at the master-less apprentice and said, "That little one smells tastier than his master." Then, pointing to the still smouldering corps of the late Lord Frennus, said, "This one will not do. It is overcooked."

Nox replied with slight irritation in his tone, "Suit yourself." Then returning his attention to Vulgren, commanded, "Order this mess cleaned up, then take me to your office."

Vulgren replied as he bowed, "As you wish Dark Lord."

He hid his surprise that the Dashade had turned down a chance to eat a Force user. Then he began to worry, as he realized that the Dashade had said, that _he_ _smelled tastier_ than his late master. Vulgren took out his personal holo-transmitter and summoned a few droids to clean up _the mess_.

Then, bowing deeply, he said, "Follow me, Dark Lord. This way to my office."

Darth Nox got up from behind the deceased Sith lord's desk and followed Vulgren out the door and down the hallway to another suite of offices. There were military staffers inside pouring over reports and updating computer generated maps with known enemy locations, estimated enemy numbers, and suspected enemy activities. Vulgren led Nox past the busy hive of officers to an inner office. He then offered Nox his own seat behind his desk.

Nox sat behind Vulgren's desk and immediately commanded, "Hold nothing back. Tell me the situation and what can be done about it, or what should have been done about it. Then tell me what is actually being done."

Vulgren replied, "As you wish, Dark Lord. Permit me to summon the intelligence officer."

Nox nodded his approval. Vulgren turned about and opened the door to his office.

Then he called out, "Captain Mels, get in here! Now!"

An Imperial military intelligence officer, a Human in his forties with black hair and mustache precisely trimmed to thin black angled lines above his lip, entered the office. He stood to attention before Vulgren's desk and stomped his boot.

He reported crisply to Darth Nox, "Captain Rannesh Mels, Military Intelligence, reporting as ordered, Dark Lord. How may I serve?"

Vulgren, standing at the side of his desk, told him, "Darth Nox, Dark Lord of The Sith, has asked for a complete briefing. Tell him everything on enemy unit strengths, locations, and activities."

Rannesh said, "As you wish, my lord." Then turning to Nox asked, "Dark Lord, do you wish a brief assessment, or do you wish a comprehensive report?"

Nox replied, "Comprehensive."

Rannesh replied, "We have a conference room, complete with maps and holo-projectors which is more suitable for that. If the dark lord wishes a comprehensive report, please follow me to it. Or I can do my best to give that report here, if it is the dark lord's desire."

Darth Nox hid his growing frustration and said, "Give it to me here." Then, sensing a storm of nonsense coming, said with slight irritation in his tone, "I've changed my mind. Give me a summary."

Rannesh sensed Nox's growing impatience and replied crisply, launching into his report, "As you say, Dark Lord. The enemy comprises of local militia, estimated at about twenty thousand rebels. They are supported by Republic Commandos behind the scenes. We do not have a firm fix on their numbers, Dark Lord. This is because there is increasing evidence that many of the militia are actually Republic Commandos disguised as locals.

"If that is the case, then it would explain why the militia seemed so much better than our Imperial forces operating in the field. We estimated..."

Nox interrupted the captain, incredulity in his voice, "Did I just hear you admit that Republic forces are superior to Imperial forces?"

Vulgren winced, and Rannesh stammered, "Wha- what I-I me- meant was that we have co- common infantry f- forces in the field, which wo- would be adequate to put down an ordinary rebellion or regular Republic f- forces," Rannesh swallowed hard, then continued, "but we are facing a large number of elite Republic Commandos, Dark Lord."

Nox let the silence that followed stretch a bit as he considered whether the Imperial officers stationed on Taris were cowed by the enemy.

He said in a tone bordering on disgust, "Very well. Continue."

Rannesh was greatly relieved to be allowed to remain among the living. A few moments before he was called into Vulgren's office, three droids had come out of Frennus' office with his corps on a hover gurney and cleaning equipment. Fear and dread that a purge had just commenced, had spread throughout the headquarters like a wildfire.

Rannesh resumed his report. "Yes, Dark Lord. Our original estimate was for a few dozen Republic Commandos on the planet supporting up to twenty thousand local militia. We are starting to get evidence that suggest there are actually at least several hundred, perhaps up to a thousand commandos. We have come to believe that they are actually the ones conducting sabotage operations against our facilities throughout the Imperial Settlement Region, and not the local militia forces, as we had originally believed.

"Meanwhile, the local militia carry out ordinary ambushes and combat patrols in the forests. They've been attacking our security patrols and stealing military weapons, supplies and munitions."

Nox interrupted again, asking in disbelief, "How long have you had this information?"

Rannesh, sweat running down his temples, answered, "Dark Lord, we began to suspect this was the case starting a few weeks ago, but this is the first hard evidence that we've obtained to substantiate our suspicions."

Nox demanded, "What evidence?"

Rannesh gulped, then answered, "Dark Lord, we were able to recover some of the corpses of the enemy that were killed in a few of the operations conducted against some of our bases, and we found that they were not locals. We were able to identify some of them as known Republic Commandos, and we found identifiers on the corpses that suggested they belonged to several different units."

Rannesh's heart pounded in his chest as he worked to control his breathing.

Nox, disbelief showing on his face and shaking his head, asked, "How long has this been going on, these commando attacks?"

Rannesh answered, his right eye and cheek twitching, "For the last six months, Dark Lord."

Nox turned his head to look at Vulgren, incredulity on his face, and asked, "And it's just now dawning on you that you've been facing strong Republic activity, here?"

Vulgren was, himself, quite a bit nervous, but he replied coolly, "Dark Lord, this was the first evidence that we've been able to obtain to make the case for more substantive Imperial military support."

Nox, shaking his head in the negative, said, "Then the two Imperial Black Ops teams sent here by Darth Komo are insufficient, and also not needed. What are needed are shock troops, but you have none on-world, nor are you likely to get any. The war is spreading throughout the galaxy, and Taris is just not important enough to warrant additional military assets."

Rannesh won Darth Nox's grudging approval when he spoke up despite his great fear and said, "Forgive my impertinence, Dark Lord, but we could use those Black Ops teams to track the Commandos to their bases. If we knew where, then we could launch attacks on their own bases."

Vulgren added, "It would also help us figure out which local settlements are supporting Republic operations. Not all of the locals are rebelling. If we could figure out which, we could punish the rebels without losing the support of those loyal to the Empire."

Nox thought a moment before giving his approval, then said, "Very well. I'll let you keep the Black Ops teams. I don't know what Darth Komo had to do to get them to come to Taris, but at least it won't be a complete waste." Nox turned to Rannesh and said, "Dismissed, Captain."

Rannesh, already at attention, stomped his boot again and shouted, almost joyously, "My life for yours, Dark Lord!"

He turned about and marched out of the office. He was immensely relieved to have survived _the purge_.

Nox turned to Vulgren and asked, "What have you been doing up until now," He effected forgetting his name, "uh..., what was your name?"

Vulgren replied, careful to pin the blame for the failed policies to his dead master, "My name is Vulgren, Dark Lord. Lord Frennus' plan of action was to increase the military's presence at the settlements, and to conduct door to door searches for evidence of rebels, weapons, munitions, etc."

Nox leaned back in Vulgren's chair and settled in to listen as Vulgren continued his report, "All that has managed to accomplish has been to stretch our forces very thinly and to earn the ire of the locals loyal to the Empire. The citizenry don't like our troops breaking their pottery and their windows."

Vulgren meant the part about the broken pottery and windows as bit of humor. He wanted to lighten the mood a little. However, Vulgren's weak smile faded away entirely as Darth Nox's dour countenance told him that his humor was not very well received.

Again, pretending having difficulty remembering his name, Nox asked, "What do you plan to do now, uh... _Vulgeron_, was it?"

Vulgren replied, carefully ignoring Nox's attempts at provocation, "As Captain Mels suggested, I'd like to locate the commandos' hidden bases and conduct simultaneous attacks on all of them with our forces. Then I'll turn my attention to those settlements that have been supporting the commandos against the Empire. I'll smash their rebel militia, and conduct investigations to ferret out the agitators among the citizenry." Then he added, as politely as he could manage, "It is _Vulgren_, Dark Lord. _Vul-gren._"

Vulgren tried to hide his growing fear. For the life of him, he could not fathom why the Dark Lord seemed to be taunting him.

Then he wondered to himself, _"Or is the dark lord really that bad at remembering names?"_

Vulgren didn't believe that for one instant.

Nox thought to himself, _"These men delude themselves! First they say there are up to a thousand Republic Commandos, and now they think that a couple of Black Ops teams could ferret them all out for a simultaneous attack. Will that not also __stretch our forces thinly?"_ Aloud he said, "Notify me when you've found the commandos. Do not conduct any operations without consulting me, first."

The fact that Darth Nox had given him orders meant that he would have to be alive to carry them out.

A great wave of relief washed over Vulgren, as he replied, "Yes, Dark Lord."

Nox thought, with slightly less disdain, _"He fears me, but he is not afraid to correct me. At least he is no coward."_

Without preamble to indicate a change in the subject matter, Nox commanded, "Summon the local ranking officer of the Imperial Reclamation Service."

Vulgren was taken off balance from the sudden change in the discussion. He also became dismayed, because he had nothing good to say about that either.

Regretfully, he reported to Nox, "I'm deeply sorry, Dark Lord. Those fellows are deep in the ruins of Taris. They're very far from the reclaimed areas. It will be a few days before she could get here."

His patience gone, and his irritation fully expressed, Nox snapped, "Even by shuttle?! Don't they have a local office nearby?!"

Vulgren, a look of deep regret on his face, shook his head slowly in the negative and said, "No, Dark Lord. I'm very sorry that I cannot give a more satisfactory reply to that. Shuttles are in short supply and are primarily used to ferry equipment, supplies, and personnel down from the orbital station, and then back up again. Also, they don't have an office anywhere in any of the settlements. They just keep to the deep ruins doing what they do."

Nox, shaking his head in disbelief and frustration, thought to himself, "_Acina is too tightfisted with her support for this operation! Stupid wench!_" Aloud, Nox ordered, "Tell the ranking officer to report to me at my quarters. Be sure she knows it is _I_ who summons her."

Vulgren replied with resolve in his tone, "As you wish, Dark Lord. I shall do what I can to get her here, to you, quickly."

Nox didn't acknowledge Vulgren's pledge to accomplish his wish, but simply moved on to the next item on his agenda, saying, "There is another matter."

Vulgren nodded his head, signifying he was ready for Nox's next commands, and asked, "Yes, Dark Lord?"

Nox commanded, "I want you to make available an office for my servant, Darth Xalek. He will be conducting a search through a massive pile of data that will be made available to him from Darth Komo and needs someplace he can work."

Glad that for the first time he had something positive to say, Vulgren suggested, "Dark Lord, if it pleases you, Darth Xalek can use Lord Frennus' office."

Nox, nodding his approval, said, "That will do." Then he ordered brusquely, "Now, leave me. I must consult with Darth Komo."

Vulgren bowed deeply and said, "As you wish, my lord. I am deeply honored to be of use to you."

He then turned about and left his own office, letting the door slide shut behind him. He was just glad to have survived _the purge_, and didn't care about the indignity of being ejected from his own office.

Nox contacted Komo. When Darth Komo replied to the holo-transmitter, he seemed deeply annoyed, thinking the call was from Vulgren.

He fumed, "How dare you dial my frequency directly, you..."

Komo, realizing in horror that it was Darth Nox on the holo, quickly changed his tone.

Speaking quickly, he said, "Oh! Forgive me, Dark Lord! I thought it was the apprentice of that fool of a servant, Frennus."

Then he quickly changed the subject so that Nox would have no chance to chastise him, adding, "Since you are calling from Vulgren's office. I take it the fools are dead, then?"

Since Komo quickly corrected himself, Nox let Komo's initial disrespect towards him pass, and simply replied, "Frennus is out of the way. He'd been lying to you. The situation is a lot worse than you had understood.

"The Republic has committed a strong commando presence on Taris, and has probably turned some of the settlements against the Empire." Nox concluded with disapproval in his tone, "You have a full rebellion about to explode from under your very feet, Komo."

Darth Komo remained silent. He didn't know what to say to that. Darth Nox caught the surprised expression that briefly flashed on Komo's face when Nox told him the news.

Nox spoke without waiting to see what Komo would say, telling him, "I've left Vulgren in charge until he proves himself, or until you find someone better suited to run this operation. His reports to his former master were succinct and accurate. He listens to his officers, and he has better sense and a better grasp of what needs to be done, than his dead master. It is why _he_ still breaths."

Komo, finally finding his voice, replied, "I'll leave him at his post until he's proven himself or until I see the situation is beyond his abilities."

Nox nodded his approval, then asked, "What does that say about the rest of your operations on Taris?"

Komo answered, "I'm going to go on a tour and have a personal look, for myself. If my apprentice has been lying to me, so may be my other servants."

Again, Nox nodded his approval.

Suddenly changing the subject, and speaking as though his feelings were hurt, Nox said to Komo, "As a Dark Lord on the Dark Council, I did not realize I only rated a single apartment in a tiny three story building..."

Komo's face became a mask of stunned shock, and harrowing dismay. He was filled with a sense of sinking dread, and shook his head slowly as his mouth dropped open. Komo raised his hand to his face, and rested his face in its palm, his head still shaking slowly from side to side.

Nox, not letting Komo speak, continued in that _hurt feelings_ tone, saying, "Are the occupants living below my apartment _so important_, that I can't have the rest of the building for myself?" He didn't give Komo a chance to reply as he stated the obvious in a business-like tone, "I need more space for my staff. They'll need accommodations while I'm here on my own personal business."

Komo, recovering his voice - _again_, said, "If Frennus had still lived, I would have tormented him for days on end until he finally succumbed to his wounds. I beg your forgiveness, Dark Lord. I will correct his blunder, personally."

Nox added, "My servants shall work from Frennus' old office. Send the data I've asked for, there."

Nox cut the transmission without giving Komo a chance to reply.

Darth Nox thought for a bit, and speculated, "_He is either a masterful liar, or Frennus completely mishandled the matter of my accommodations._"

Nox got up from behind Vulgren's desk and walked out of his office. Khem Val followed his master out, silently.

Nox saw Vulgren in consultations with Colonel Igus Nann and said to him, "I'll see myself out. Get to work. You should start by bringing Darth Komo up to speed with what's really been happening around here."

Vulgren bowed deeply, glad to have survived the inquiries of an angry Dark Lord of The Sith, and answered, "As you say, my dark lord, Darth Nox."

Nox left the headquarters.

"_My headquarters!_" Vulgren thought to himself.

He was finally able to relax – _a little bit_, and revel in the fact that he now commanded in the stead of his failure of a master. He was under no illusions however that the situation would last, but he figured that if he showed some results, Darth Nox might not kill him and Darth Komo might keep him as commander.

Komo complied with Nox's requirements for additional quarters by giving Nox the rest of the luxury condominium building he now occupied, in addition to the only other luxury condominium building in the cul-de-sac on the hill overlooking Imperial Settlement Number Three. Within the hour, the remaining occupants of both luxury condominium buildings were hurriedly evicted with all of their belongings. There was nothing they could do as Imperial soldiers, battle droids, and professional movers quickly and expertly packed the owners' belongings and hauled it all to storage – all at government expense.

The previous condominium owners would have to look for new homes on their own. They didn't raise any objections, either. How could they? The Sith were behind the loss of their homes. At the very least, the Empire covered all of the expenses to have their things packed and moved to storage, and they were given fair market value, in Imperial credits, for their confiscated homes.

Darth Xalek, Captain Talos Drellik, and Khem Val would soon occupy the condominiums in the second building, leaving Nox with a three story luxury condominium building to himself. All six condominiums in the two buildings were lavishly refurnished – all at government expense. Later that evening, Nox would charge 2V-R8 with managing both condominium complexes.


	5. A Perfect Match Is Found!

A Perfect Match Is Found!

A few days had passed during which Darth Xalek and Captain Drellik had been making use of their new office. The two had made some progress in their research. They tracked down the locations of a few thousand warehouses previously owned by Republic government, military, and private interests.

The records of the warehouses were from a time before the Republic military, the local Republic governing council, and much of the Republic civilian resettlement population were forcibly expelled from the planet by the Sith Empire. Talos marked their locations on two dimensional holo-maps with notations. These warehouses were used to store artifacts, relics, and other items from Taris' antiquities.

Talos suggested, "Darth Xalek, may I recommend we expand our search to include museums and Jedi temples?"

Xalek gave his approval adding a suggestion of his own.

"That is a wise course of action, let us also include universities as well, especially those that focus on the study of the antiquities."

Talos, arched his eyebrows as he thought to himself, "_The libraries at those old ruined universities could be filled with datacrons!_"

Aloud he said enthusiastically, smiling at the prospect, "Excellent thinking, my lord! Think of all of the research we could find in those old forgotten libraries!"

Xalek, knowing of Talos' love of the archaic and arcane, hid his grin at Talos' exuberance.

He decreed soberly, "Then let us proceed. Just don't be disappointed if you find the libraries had already been looted or their contents vandalized."

The possibilities of making major discoveries was balanced against the possibilities of finding the storehouses of knowledge ruined by gangs of pirates. They took what they could and ruined what they could not. Both Darth Xalek and Captain Drellik worked knowing how frustrating it was to finally find a lost temple or tomb, only to find it had been looted by thieves, ignorant of the true value of what they carelessly plundered. However, both Xalek and Talos were unaware of Nox's true goal, so they searched with an incredibly broad stroke.

Talos Drellik wracked his brain trying to recall, _"Were there any ancient Jedi temples on Taris?"_

Aside from the two Jedi Temples that had been bombed into ruin, three hundred years earlier by Darth Malik when Taris was reduced to a world of toxic rubble, Talos could not find any temples that were older than those. Records showed those temples were, at most, six hundred years old. Six hundred years was very old, historic even, but not _'ancient'_ by Sith nor even archaeological reckoning.

There was something else, nagging in the back of Talos' mind. He knew something was off, but it was not important enough for him to consider, or so he thought.

* * *

Meanwhile, at Nox's residence, the intercom had chimed. 2V-R8 was directly linked to it. He stopped what he was doing and walked to the turbolift.

He announced remotely over the intercom as he entered the turbolift, "Residence of Darth Nox, Dark Lord of The Sith, seated on the Dark Council. Who calls?"

An Imperial soldier attached to Nox's guard detail responded. "Lieutenant Shahn Lunn of the Imperial Reclamation Service is here to see the dark lord."

2V-R8 replied, "A moment while I announce Lieutenant Shahn Lunn to Darth Nox." The transmission ended.

Soon after, the main entrance opened and 2V-R8 stepped outside and said, "Lieutenant Shahn Lunn, please come with me. Darth Nox has been awaiting your arrival."

Shahn Lunn followed the droid through the building entrance, down a small hallway, and into the turbolift, arriving to the top level of Darth Nox's apartments after a short ride up. The droid led Shahn Lunn through the huge and lavishly appointed condominium and to a very large patio.

At the patio entrance, 2V-R8 said to Lieutenant Lunn, "Darth Nox is in conference, now. He's asked that you make yourself comfortable here and wait for him. Are you hungry, thirsty? Can I bring you anything to eat or to drink while you wait?"

In truth, Nox had only told the droid, "Let her in and tell her to wait."

Shahn Lunn said, "Bring me something I can eat quickly, and plain water to drink."

2V-R8 said, "As you wish. I will return shortly with your refreshments."

2V-R8 turned and left Shahn alone at the automatic sliding glass doors which led to the patio and it's view overlooking the settlement's huge central park, surrounded by residential and commercial districts. As Lieutenant Shahn Lunn stepped through the blue tinted permaglass doors and exited onto the patio deck, she took in the scene.

The expansive patio deck was built using very smooth white resicrete, with aqua blue asymmetrically shaped tiles widely spaced and set flush into the resicrete. The tiles marked off paths from the sliding glass doors to an outdoor bar at one end of the patio, and a very large oval shaped sunken hot tub, made with the aqua blue tiles, on the opposite end of the patio.

Shahn took the middle path of tiles leading to six white patio umbrellas that gave their shade to round white tables with curved white benches beneath them in the middle of the patio deck. But she walked past the patio furniture to the curved edge of the huge oval patio deck, which was walled in by a very high quality, high strength, non-reflective, transparent material. It was almost chest high to Shahn's petite frame. Shahn judged the material to be permaglass.

Nox's condominium buildings, with their curved exteriors, were built near the top of a large hill overlooking the settlement. Below, one could see that the park, several kilometers away, was an oasis surrounded by urban sprawl. Although not visible in the distance, there was a low wall (ten feet high) at the opposite end of the urban sprawl that kept the wild greenery of the forest out, along with the wildlife - _and the rebels_ conducting ambushes on Imperial security patrols.

Shahn could see that the city planners didn't do such a bad job of it. The huge central park was not the only greenery within the walls. There were plenty of trees and shrubbery lining the streets and walks in the built-up areas as well. It was actually quite beautiful here.

2V-R8 interrupted her reverie with his announcement, "Here are your refreshments. I hope you'll enjoy them."

The droid left the covered tray of light sandwiches, fruit salad, a pitcher of cool water, a small bucket of ice cubes, and a drinking glass on the umbrella covered table nearest to where she stood at the patio railing.

Shahn did not notice her reflection approaching the patio furniture with the beautiful vista behind her reflected off of the blue tinted permaglass, which made up the exteriors of Nox's residential buildings, as she walked to the table and uncovered the tray. Both of Nox's luxury apartment buildings were made with the reflective blue tinted permaglass exteriors.

She didn't sit as she wolfed down the sandwiches and didn't even give the fruit a second glance. She poured water into the glass, ignoring the ice, and drank the water in one go. Leaving the emptied glass and the forgotten fruit on the table, she returned to the rail at the patio's edge to admire the view again.

She was brimming with anticipation and whispered to herself, "_To think, Darth Nox – my lord and master, has summoned me personally!_" She knew it could only mean one thing. She told herself, "_There is something on Taris, and he wants it. He wants me to find it!_"

2V-R8 interrupted her thoughts again. Lieutenant Shahn turned around and looked up at the droid as it announced, "Darth Nox will see you now. Please, surrender your side arm to me and follow me to his study."

Shahn unholstered her Army issued blaster pistol, and handed it over to the droid. She stopped in front of the blue tinted permaglass and checked that her uniform was on straight and that her uniform cap was on properly. Then she followed the droid to Darth Nox's study. She wondered if his appearance had changed since the first time she'd seen him when he was first announced to them as Darth Thanaton's successor by that beast of a monster – a Dashade.

_"Dashades are so rare"_, she thought to herself.

As she followed 2V-R8 into Darth Nox's study, she saw it, the Dashade. It was a hulking green behemoth in heavy armor and armed with an oversized, savage looking vibrosword. It stood, leaning it's shoulder against a wall, in a far corner of the study, its huge arms folded across its massive chest. 2V-R8 wordlessly left the study and closed the door. The droid then stood outside of the door waiting for instructions.

Shahn stopped in front of Nox's desk, snapped to attention, stomped her right boot, and reported crisply, _"_Lieutenant Shahn Lunn, reporting as ordered, Dark Lord!"

Khem Val uncrossed his arms and straightening his gargantuan eight foot frame said, "This one is strong, Master! If she crosses you, I shall enjoy feasting on her flesh!"

Darth Nox said to Shahn, "That's quite a compliment he's paid you." Then he corrected himself. "He really will eat you if you're not careful, but that he said so with such enthusiasm tells me you're strong in The Force."

Shahn carefully regarded Nox without trying to stare, thinking to herself, "_He hasn't changed, too much. Bright red skin, except for the darkened complexion around his eyes and mouth and purple veins showing all over his skin. The coldness of his eyes; he's suffering from Dark Side corruption! He's reckless with the Dark Side of The Force!_"

Then she noticed, "_He's changed his hairstyle. Now it's a shaved pate with a top-knot sticking out from the back of his head. Perhaps he's showing off his battle scars on his scalp, face and neck?_" Shahn marveled, "_It's amazing he hasn't lost any of his pointy protrusions on the sides of his forehead and the sides of his chin from his battles._"

Nox pointed to a chair on the other side of his desk and said, "Sit."

Shahn was admiring the deep black and bright yellow patterns on his vestments, which she was surprised to realize was actually his battle dress.

Shahn sat, thinking, _"__Is he always ready to do battle?_"

Nox looked at Khem Val, and said, "Khem, I'm sorry, but this part I need to keep secret from you and the others. Please leave."

Khem Val clearly did not like that and let Nox know it. "If she defeats you, I shall laugh at your corps!"

Nox became furious. His face showed his displeasure.

Trying to keep his tone conversational, and failing, he asked tightly, "Will you crunch my bones and eat my flesh as you laugh, _Khem?_"

Khem Val was almost through the door but stopped to say, "Master, you I shall bury in a great tomb on Korriban. I shall inscribe a huge tablet, ′_Here lies the descendant of mighty Lord Kallig, Darth Nox, Dark Lord of The Sith, conqueror of Balmora and Corelia, and the ravager of Taris and Belsavis. He fell to a little Sith with no name._′ She, I shall devour to sate my hunger!"

Then he stomped out, with the door hissing shut behind him. Nox shook his head in frustration. He fumed at Khem's outburst, but said nothing.

Nox thought to himself, "_Khem Val is Khem Val._"

Shahn became filled with fear and apprehension because Nox's body guard had just suggested she would betray her master, and then left her alone with an enraged Dark Lord of The Sith!

Nox studied her a bit. She was a human. She was small, but fit and trim. She wore her long dark hair, which was just starting to show signs of graying, in a braid that was wrapped into a tight bun and pinned neatly to the back of her head. If not for the hints of gray in her hair, her youthful features could have concealed her maturity.

Nox judged her to be in her mid to late thirties, about the same age as he. She wore the military uniform of an Imperial Reclamation Service officer with the rank of lieutenant. A few military decorations adorned her uniform, but she was Sith.

Nox said to her about Khem Val, "He's a bit of a free spirit. Likes to speak his mind."

Shahn was no fool. Not for one second did she believe she could defeat Nox. In fact, she was terrified at the possibility that she was being set up on charges of betrayal.

She said in her defense, "My dark lord, it has never crossed my mind to even think of betraying you. I am your humble obedient servant, always."

Nox stunned her when he leaned back in his oversized office chair and said, "I don't know who you are. You are Sith, a member of the Imperial Reclamation Service, and _a Sith_. I did not know I had a Sith serving as a uniformed officer in the Imperial Reclamation Service. How did you sneak in?"

Shahn, beginning to sweat under her uniform, answered earnestly, "Dark Lord, I have been in service since before you defeated Darth Thanaton and claimed your seat on the Dark Council. I have served you by finding relics of power and other bits of Sith history. Perhaps you've read some of my papers, I've always signed my work as _'Ensign S. Lunn'_, then later as _'Lieutenant S. Lunn'_. Perhaps, you've heard of me as..."

Suddenly leaning forward, Nox interjected, "Oh! Lieutenant _S._ Lunn! Yes! I've heard of _Lieutenant S. Lunn._" He paused a moment, as though thinking, before continuing, "However, I've never heard of _Sith lord Shahn_."

Nox leaned back in his chair again and carefully regarded her. It bothered him greatly that all of this time, there was an invisible Sith serving within his powerbase.

"_A Sith, invisible to me,_" he thought to himself, and then, "_I wonder if there are any others hiding like that from my sight?_"

Shahn sat quietly. She didn't like the way the meeting had been going.

Nox spoke again. "Thanaton was a stickler for tradition and correctness. How did you slip past his notice? I can't see him permitting a Sith to be in military uniform."

Before she could answer, Nox said, "Never mind that. You have done very good work for me. I'm a little more confident that I've got the right people where I need them. However, it bothers me that all of this time, I did not know _'Lieutenant S. Lunn'_ was _Sith_."

Nox fell silent as he began thinking. Shahn had mixed feelings. On the one hand, she was pleased that Darth Nox was happy with her work. On the other hand, it worried her that Darth Nox seamed unhappy to learn she was Sith.

Shahn began worrying, thinking to herself, "_I have made a huge miscalculation! He didn't summon me to find something for him. He's summoned me here to investigate me for betrayal!_"

Nox's blank facade showed nothing of what he thought. Shahn Lunn felt as though his eyes bored into her very soul. She stormed through her memories trying to recall anything that she might have done or said that could have been used to ruin her. She could think of nothing. She had always been circumspect.

In fact, Nox was marveling at how The Force had given him such a boon. He needed a powerful Sith for the next part of his plan, once he'd found the relic.

Nox thought to himself, "_This is perfect!_"

Suddenly breaking the silence, Nox spoke, startling Shahn as he asked her, "I have no doubt that you've made use of what you've discovered, but have you ever withheld any of your discoveries from me?"

Shahn replied, again with such earnestness, "Everything I've studied has been carefully documented. I have made use of my discoveries, but I have held nothing back from the Imperial Reclamation Service. All artifacts, relics, and historic findings made by me and my team have been properly archived and stored in the Imperial Reclamation Service's vaults or recorded in its libraries. You have ownership of all I and my team have ever discovered, Dark Lord."

Shahn's heart leapt when Nox suddenly stood from his seat. However, as he walked to the far end of his study to a tablet, on the opposite end of the study from where Khem Val had stood earlier, her leaping heart began to settle down again.

The tablet hung in a suspension field on display. He waved her to him. Shahn got up and walked to where Nox stood, looking up at him with steady eyes. He stood a full head and shoulder taller than she.

Nox, looking down at her diminutive form, could see that outside, Shahn was a sea of calm. The Force however, revealed to him that inside, Shahn was a storm of fear, uncertainty, and doubt.

He pointed to the tablet with his thumb and ordered, "Read that to me."

Shahn looked at it carefully, and said, "It's Rakata. It says something about Belsavis..."

Nox said, "Good. You can read the ancient dead language of the Rakata. There aren't many who can. This will be useful in your work for me."

An enormous wave of relief washed over Shahn upon hearing that last phrase. She understood she would not die this day. Nox sensed that calm had returned to Shahn as he returned to his chair behind his desk. Shahn followed him back to the desk, returning to the chair he'd commanded her to sit in earlier.

Nox said, "What I will tell you, you must keep to yourself. None of my personal staff know what I seek."

Nox paused a moment to let her understand what he'd said.

Shahn promised, "I will speak of this to no one, Dark Lord."

Nox nodded his approval, and then told her, "I'm looking for a Rakata mind trap. Have you heard of those before?"

Shahn replied, "You found one on Tatooine, Dark Lord. It had an entity's mind imprisoned within. I read the papers written about it. It was a fascinating discovery, Dark Lord."

Nox nodded as he replied with annoyance in his tone, "Yes, quite fascinating. The stubborn old bantha won't play nice, and so we keep it locked away."

Shahn didn't know what to say to that, so she simply nodded her head.

Nox continued, "I'm looking for one that was being held in a warehouse here on Taris. I don't know if the Republic took it with them when they left the planet, or if it's still in the warehouse collecting dust, or if it's buried under tons of ruined twisted durasteel. For all I know, it may have been sold off as scrap and destroyed. I fervently hope that's not the case."

Nox paused for a breath, and then continued, "I have two of my staff combing through thousands of trillions of bits of data about Taris in an attempt to find any clues as to its whereabouts. I want you to join the search, but out in the field."

Nox paused again. This time he poured water from a pitcher into a glass and sipped from it. He did not offer any to Shahn. Shahn waited silently for her lord to continue speaking.

When he did, he told her, "My apprentice, Darth Xalek, and my servant, Captain Talos Drellik, also of the Imperial Reclamation Service, will send you any data they find that will aid in your search. You will do the actual search in the field. If you find it, you will not touch it. You will notify me, and I will examine it. Do you understand?"

Shahn replied, "Yes, Dark Lord. I understand. I am not to touch it."

She had questions but was hesitant to ask. In the end, however, she realized it was important for her to know some specifics.

Shahn asked Nox, "Dark Lord, what can you tell me about this particular mind trap that sets it apart from some of the others that have been found and documented?"

Nox plainly told her, "This Rakata mind trap houses the mind of my former master, Darth Zash."

Shahn's eyes grew wide as her mouth dropped open. She quickly recovered from the shock of that revelation and regained her composure.

Nox, pleased and amused by her reaction, said, "There's a reason my staff do not know that I seek a Rakata mind trap. However, shortly I will tell Darth Xalek and Captain Drellik, and I will carefully instruct them not to tell any of the others what it is I seek."

Shahn replied in confirmation, "So, only those two and I will know what you are after?"

Nox confirmed and reemphasized, "And no one else, not even your own crew." After a short pause to be sure she did understand, Nox went on with his caution, "There is a reason I sent Khem Val, the Dashade, out of the room. It is because he is bitter enemies with Darth Zash. If he were to know that I sought her prison, he might become... _disagreeable_."

Shahn, forgetting herself, asked what was none of her business, "What will you do if you find the artifact in question, Dark Lord?"

Nox, laughed within himself at her excitement, as he lied, "I haven't decided that, yet. However, she has knowledge that I seek about certain rituals." That last part was meant as another lie, until he realized that he might, indeed, be interested in what Zash knew concerning ancient Sith rituals, in particular Tulak Hord's ritual for immortality.

Shahn said dutifully, "I am deeply honored to be given a part in this project. I hope to succeed and bring you greater glory, Dark Lord."

Nox nodded and abruptly changed the subject, "Good. Now let's talk about your uniform. I understand that you are an officer in the Reclamation Service, but you are _Sith_. You should dress in the robes of Sith and carry yourself as Sith, not as a lieutenant that takes orders from superior officers. You are a lord above the common Imperials and should act the part."

Shahn was disappointed to hear this. She actually enjoyed her intellectual pursuits with the Imperial Reclamation Service and her role as an army officer. However, a Dark Lord on the Dark Council had just ordered her to end that.

Shahn said to Nox, "I truly enjoy the role I play as an archaeologist. Discovering bits of Sith history and finding artifacts, especially artifacts of power, are thrilling to me."

Nox said, "I, too, am an archaeologist..." Nox paused to think that over, then corrected himself, "Well, I dabble in archaeology. I'm more of a researcher of ancient and arcane Force rituals, but I don't wear an officer's uniform, nor hold officer's rank. I'm not asking you to give up your love of archaeology, nor am I asking that you end your association with the Imperial Reclamation Service. I'm asking you to assume your role as Sith."

Shahn said, with some relief, "I understand, Dark Lord."

Nox asked her, "Who and where is your master?"

Shahn said, "My master died on Tatooine. He was killed by the Sand People. He was Darth Silthar."

After a long silence, during which Nox's eyes bore into Shahn's, making it become increasingly uncomfortable for her, Nox finally spoke. "If you knew I recovered the Rakata mind trap on Tatooine, then you also knew that I worked with Darth Silthar..."

Nox leaned back in his chair and added, "Something else I did not know about you." Shahn squirmed in her seat, while Nox thought to himself, _"Where is The Force leading me with this? It is too convenient. It is too perfect!"_

Nox was satisfied with how the meeting had gone. He told Shahn, without irony, "Sometimes, it is a sad thing to lose one's master, but most times it leads to greater things." When Shahn said nothing to that, Nox concluded the meeting and told her, "Very well. I hope to see good things from you. You are dismissed."

Thus dismissed, Shahn stood up. She bowed deeply and said, "It has been my singular honor to have been a guest in your house and to have spoken to you personally. I look forward to directly serving you, and I hope I will be useful to you in this matter, my dark lord, Darth Nox."

Nox nodded and waved her away. Shahn Lunn turned about and marched to the door and then exited his study.

As the door slid shut behind her, 2V-R8 said to her, "Lieutenant, please follow me, and I shall guide you to the exit." Then returning her blaster pistol, said, "Here is your sidearm."

Shahn re-holstered her weapon as she followed the droid to the lift. 2V-R8 guided her until she was outside again. She walked past the saluting Imperial soldiers, absently returning their salutes, as she made her way to the cul-de-sac where her speeder was parked. She smiled as she entered her rental speeder and drove off.

As Shahn made her way back to the inn where she'd booked a room, she'd decided to rest for the remainder of the day. She had planned to set out early the next morning to return to her dig site, an ancient museum of ancient Tarisian antiquities. It was rumored to house lost Sith artifacts. She'd found some ancient and unknown Jedi relics, but no Sith artifacts as yet. Shahn wanted to get back to work.

On her drive back she began planning, and thought to herself, "_I'll have to split my team into two. One part will stay at the current dig site, and the other part will go with me to my new assignment._"

Shahn remembered Nox's admonishment about her uniform, and determined to get new clothes. She became saddened when she realized she would have to resign her commission in the Imperial Army, but she needed to resign in order to assume her role as Sith and become more _Sith like. _Then she began to wonder if she could make an arrangement to work with the Imperial Reclamation Service the way her dead master, Darth Silthar, had.

She asked herself, "_How will I get paid for my work?" _Then she thought, "_I'll have to figure out some kind of arrangement with the Imperial Reclamation Service._"

Shahn shocked herself when she remembered a particularly explosive detail from her meeting, and exclaimed to herself, "_He's had Darth Zash's consciousness trapped in a Rakata mind trap?! Extraordinary!_"

She couldn't believe it. Darth Thanaton and everyone else, herself included, thought that Nox had killed his old master.

Even though Nox did not share this with her, Shahn made the assumption, "_Now he seeks to bring her back out!_" After a brief pause to think, she asked herself, "_Back to life?! But how?!_"

Even as she asked herself that question, she started to understand what Nox had in mind. Shahn drove in silence as she pondered the implications.

Darth Nox, still sitting at his desk, thought about Shahn Lunn. She was strong in The Force, she was an intellectual as well as intelligent, and she had a strong love for the study of the arcane. To top it all off, she was Darth Silthar's apprentice!

Nox thought to himself aloud. "_She's a perfect match for Zash._"

At that moment, Nox realized that he liked Shahn and became conflicted about whether he'd actually sacrifice her to get Zash back.


	6. A Muddled Mind and A Jedi

A Muddled Mind and A Jedi

An hour after Shahn had left Nox's apartments, Darth Nox traveled to Vulgren's headquarters and made his way to Frennus' old office. There, he spoke to Xalek and Talos. Both had been working, almost without pause, on their own efforts to narrow down their search.

Nox told Xalek and Talos, "I want you to concentrate your search for Rakata artifacts and relics."

He'd told them only that. However, Xalek and Talos were no slouches. They immediately surmised what specific Rakata artifact he sought. The nagging question in the back of Talos Drellik's mind came back, and it hit him like the stone slabs of a collapsing Sith tomb.

Talos let slip, "You're looking for Za-... _her!_"

Xalek sternly cautioned Talos, "Mind your thoughts!"

Xalek and Talos traded looks as the dire consequences of letting that information come before Khem Val solidified into a very real and present danger. Nox caught their exchange. He saw the worry on their faces, and how they'd traded shocked glances with one another.

Nox sighed, thinking to himself, "_Eventually, they would have figured it out without me telling them anything._" Aloud, he cautioned, "Do I have to spell out to you the need to keep it quiet from _the rest_?"

By "_the rest,"_ Xalek and Talos both knew he meant Khem Val.

They both replied, nearly in unison, "No, my lord."

Nox then gave them Shahn Lunn's holo-transmitter frequency, telling them, "This is the holo frequency for Shahn Lunn. She will do the work of digging in the field. She has a full archaeological crew. You will give her information as to where to dig."

An hour later, after Darth Nox had left them to do their work and the excitement had worn off, both Xalek and Talos had come to an agreement to do all of the work at Lord Frennus' old office and to make all holo communications with Shahn from the office. This, to further reduce the possibility that Khem would find out.

Talos said to Xalek, "To think he was after _that_ all this time, my lord!"

Xalek said nothing. He was disappointed to learn that it was not an artifact of power nor of dark knowledge, but merely a prison which they'd sought.

* * *

A week had passed since then, during which time Darth Nox had been seeking a political advantage to use against one of his rivals during the up coming Dark Council meeting. He worked carefully in crafting his proposal, in addition to doing work on a few supporting documents, which he needed to present to the other Dark Councilors, to support his case. He wanted to leave nothing to chance when he made his case, making his subtle play for more power and increased influence.

He had also been doing work on other proposals. There were a few other items that needed to be addressed for the betterment of the Empire. In Nox's view, there was a need for reforms in those areas.

2V-R8 entered his study and announced, "A messenger has arrived from Lord Vulgren, Master."

Nox saved his work and blanked the screen on his computer monitor.

He said, "Bring him here."

2V-R8 said, "Right away, Master."

The droid was gone.

A moment later, 2V-R8 returned with the messenger and Khem Val.

Nox ordered, "R8, close the door."

2V-R8 complied, exiting Nox's office, allowing the door to slide shut, and standing just to the side of it, waiting for more orders. Khem Val had already gone to a corner of Nox's office and crossed his arms. He remained silent as he kept vigilant watch of the female human army officer, even though the droid had taken her weapon.

Nox ordered the messenger, "Report."

The messenger, already at attention in front of Nox's desk, said in a surprisingly girly and decidedly un-military voice, "Lieutenant Millie Kine, reporting, Dark Lord! Lord Vulgren instructed me to report that Black Ops have succeeded in tracking the Republic Commandos back to their hidden bases and that discoveries have been made about the extent of rebel activities among the locals. Lord Vulgren stands ready to provide a complete briefing in the conference room at his headquarters, Sir!"

Nox worked hard to keep from laughing at her, telling her, "Very well, Lieutenant. Message received. You may go."

An hour later, Nox sat in the darkened conference room with Vulgren, Colonel Igus Nann, and two Imperial Black Ops Team leaders, Lieutenant Dains Miltner and Lieutenant Karch Thadt. Captain Rannesh Mels conducted the briefing with holographic images of the commando bases' key features, maps showing each base location, and holographic images of many of the commandos without their helmets on. The Black Ops teams were thorough.

His briefing already in progress, Rannesh was speaking.

"... Black Ops have also verified that it is Settlement Number Two that is supporting the Republic Commandos. The population has become largely anti-Imperial and has become openly rebellious. Their militia appears to be headquartered here, and not in the deep forest as we had previously believed."

Rannesh fiddled with the controls of the holo-projector as he continued his briefing.

"The militia high leadership have successfully been identified, but they only account for part of the resistance leadership. The rebellion has gone so far as to establish its own shadow government. The _Taris Provisional Government_. The shadow government is seated in Imperial Settlement Number Two. The political leaders have not all been ferreted out, but some of their important members have been identified."

Holographic images of the militia and shadow government leaders flashed by as Rannesh spoke some of their names and titles. Rannesh shut the holo-projector off, and raised the lighting level in the conference room.

He resumed his report, saying, "They have outreach programs that have been operating in the other settlements. They have had mixed success. They've succeeded when recruiting new members, who then move to Imperial Settlement Number Two to join the rebel militia or just to defect from the Sith Empire. They've failed when a loyal Imperial reported the subversive activities of the agitators, which then led to arrests. The resistance overall leader has yet to be identified."

Motioning his hand towards the Black Ops officers, Rannesh said, "Black Ops had pulled back fearing discovery and blowing their operation, but they left a few stealth surveillance droids behind which continue to capture video and audio, which is then transmitted to us here."

Nox interrupted the briefing and instructed, "Vulgren, contact Imperial Intelligence. They need to be here. I think SIS is in there organizing the whole thing. We'll need Imperial Intelligence to get in there and dig out the rest of those leaders."

The Black Ops commanders exchanged glances and nodded in agreement with Darth Nox's assessment.

Nox then turned to the Black Ops Team leaders and asked, "What isn't Captain Mels' briefing telling me? What's been left out?"

Rannesh Mels winced. He'd wished Darth Nox hadn't asked that. Nox sensed sudden fear and anxiety emanating from Mels and shot him a surreptitious glance.

Nox wondered to himself, "_Then, is he hiding something?_"

The senior Black Ops lieutenant spoke, "Lieutenant Dains Miltner, Imperial Black Ops Team 584, Dark Lord. We've uncovered five bases from which the Republic Commandos operate. There's a team of commandos at each base. They total to approximately sixty team members."

Nox, interrupting, asked incredulously, "_Sixty?_ Sixty commandos? _That's all?_"

Dains, not understanding why Nox was so surprised by the number, replied, "At least sixty in the Western Sector. We don't think there's more than a hundred, Dark Lord. This does not include the other sectors, Dark Lord. We have not conducted operations in those other sectors, and cannot offer any information pertaining to those areas."

Nox turned to look at Rannesh with a dire look in his eyes. Rannesh was clearly uncomfortable about the faulty intelligence he'd given Darth Nox a little over a week before.

Nox opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, Dains added, "Dark Lord, we don't have direct evidence, but we believe there is a Jedi operating with the Commandos."

The officers at the conference table who'd been taking notes, and murmuring comments to each other about the data in Mels' briefing suddenly stopped and became still. Dead silence fell in the room. No one spoke for what seemed like eternity.

Nox spoke into the dead silence, "Do you have indirect evidence, then?"

Dains turned to his junior counterpart and said, "Lieutenant? Your show."

The Junior lieutenant spoke.

"Lieutenant Karch Thadt, Imperial Black Ops Team 311, Dark Lord. I sent one of my men to set up sensors in the trees near a path we believed was used to move equipment and ordnance to and from hidden caches. He hadn't returned on schedule. I sent two men to go after him. The three returned an hour later.

"When I questioned him about why he didn't return on schedule, he said he'd gotten distracted by the _interesting fauna_. It was the strangest thing I'd ever heard him say. He's one of my best men and not the sort to goof off in the field.

"Then I noticed that he still had some of the sensors he was suppose to set up. I asked him why that was. He repeated his excuse about getting sidetracked by the interesting fauna.

"Then I ordered him to explain to me why he had failed his mission. He asked me, ′_What mission, Lieutenant?_′ At that point, I felt it was possible that his mind had been muddled by a Jedi. I contacted Lieutenant Miltner, and we agreed that we should pull back. That's all we've got, Dark Lord."

Darth Nox turned to Igus Nann and said, "It speaks very poorly of your command, that you couldn't even get a tenth of all of this intel in all of the time you've been here, and yet these two and their men uncovered so much in only a week. They've even revealed the presence of a Jedi on this planet."

Igus was deeply unsettled. Throughout the entire briefing, he'd been telling himself the very same thing, but it was a horror to have to hear it from a Dark Lord of The Sith.

He said in a voice that betrayed his defeated frame of mind, "Dark Lord, I will report my failure to Imperial High Command. I will recommend replacements for me, my command staff, and all of my officers in the field. This failure goes up and down the chain of command. I will recommend retraining for the enlisted."

Darth Nox nodded his head and said coldly, "I approve your plan to replace the command structure of this brigade." Then he said with a bit of anger in his voice, "It's hardly surprising. Taris is a backwater world with no importance whatsoever. It's only natural to send the undesirables and the failures to such unimportant outposts.

"Yet, what this shows is that no matter how militarily insignificant an outpost may be, it can be made into a political firebomb with far reaching consequences. Can you imagine the humiliation to the Empire, if the Republic could do to us on Taris, the very same thing we did to them, right here on this very same world only a few years ago?!"

Nox slammed his fist onto the conference table. He didn't use The Force, so the table didn't break.

Darth Nox commanded Igus Nann, "Be sure to expedite the process, and be sure Imperial High Command understands that I'm demanding experienced, quality officers to replace you and your failures!"

Igus Nann knew this was not only the end of his career, but that it very well could mean a firing squad for him, and possibly the senior officers under his command. The officers seated at the conference table all realized the same thing. A dark pall had descended over their heads.

Igus, sensing his own imminent doom, said with defeat and gloom in his voice, "Yes, Dark Lord."

Darth Nox turned to Vulgren, who'd been fearing his own fate, and said, "This failure is a military one. You're dead master failed when he lied to Darth Komo about the situation here. His lies denied Komo the chance to correct things.

"The rest of this mess is the military's. Not just the ones here on Taris. This goes all the way to Dromund Kaas because of their practice of sending the undesirables to unimportant far flung places instead of removing them from service."

Nox looked sharply at Vulgren, and with a warning in his tone, added, "You had better learn from this, Vulgren."

Vulgren replied, "I have, Dark Lord."

Vulgren had never been so relieved in his life. He thanked The Force for somehow escaping disaster a second time. However, he didn't believe his luck would hold any longer. He resolved to be more vigilant of his subordinate commanders' activities.

Nox declared, "I've heard enough!" Then turning his sharply critical eyes toward Igus Naan, Nox commanded, "Colonel, I want your replacements here before the end of this week."

He got up and started to leave the conference room without waiting for a reply.

Yet, Igus replied, "Yes, Dark Lord," to Nox's back as he walked out the door and left the conference room.

Igus Nann didn't even bother to try explaining the logistical impossibility of Nox's demands, and thought to himself, "_A full command structure from Dromund Kaas by the end of the week? Of course, Dark Lord._"

Nox left the conference room behind and walked to Frennus' old office, now in use by Xalek and Talos, and entered. Xalek and Talos both stood.

As Talos bowed deeply, Xalek greeted Nox, "You honor us with your presence, Dark Lord. How may we serve you?"

Nox thought approvingly to himself of Xalek, "_Xalek, you're always so formal, so correct. Don't think I'll ever take my eyes off of you. I know you're just waiting patiently for your chance..._" Aloud, he said, "Contact Shahn Lunn. We need to talk."

Talos answered, "Right away, Dark Lord."

He then went about dialing her frequency. A moment later, Shahn answered the call. She wore her military uniform.

Shahn asked, "What have you got for me Darth Xalek?" Then, noticing Darth Nox in the office with the others, exclaimed, "Oh! My dark lord! I beg your pardon. I did not..."

Nox cut her off, nearly shouting, "Didn't I tell you to dress like a Sith and to carry yourself as a Sith?"

Xalek and Talos exchanged surprised looks.

Nox thought angrily to himself, "_They didn't know?! She didn't tell them?!_"

Shahn replied defensively, "There aren't any Sith clothing boutiques on Taris, Dark Lord. I had my measurements sent to a Synthweaver on Dromund Kaas, and am waiting for whatever it is they're making for me to arrive in the next shipment."

Nox threw his hands up in the air, clearly frustrated, and shouted, "I give up! Fine! Your custom Sith attire is being shipped! Next subject! What progress has been made with my search?!"

Shahn was troubled by Nox's anger towards her. She said simply, "I'm still waiting for clues from Darth Xalek and Captain Drellik as to where I should dig, Dark Lord."

Nox turned to Xalek and Talos, waiting for one of them to speak.

Xalek answered Nox, "With what you have told us last week, we have been able to exclude many possibilities. We are attempting to locate the spaceport where you fought your final battle for control over Taris, Dark Lord. We know the warehouse that housed the relic is near there, because you and Khem Val spoke about it several times in the past."

Talos added, "We are also combing through all of the manifests of Republic and Imperial ships that left Taris in the aftermath of the spaceport's destruction, to determine which ones carried Rakata artifacts off-world and to which destinations. After sifting through several hundred manifests, we have found information on four such ships, one Republic, and three Imperial, Dark Lord. There are still a few hundred ship manifests to go through, but we are progressing apace, my lord."

Nox, his anger mostly dissipated, said calmly, "Very well." Then he shocked them all when he told them, "There may be a Jedi... No... There very well _is_ a Jedi on Taris. Imperial Black Ops think they may have run into one of them. The mind of one of their men was altered with nonsense."

Shahn asked, "Force Persuasion, Dark Lord?"

Nox nodded, and said, "Be cautious, all of you. I don't want this Jedi learning what I'm truly after. I don't need the Jedi to steal my prize from under my nose."

Talos reasoned, "My lord, You have been publicly active with the matter of the rebellion on Taris. As far as the Jedi knows, you are here for that reason alone."

Nox, shaking his head in the negative, said, "No. He will not think that. What he'll be thinking is, ′_A Dark Lord, seated on the Dark Council is on Taris, an unimportant backwater world. He's after something._' He'd be a fool to think otherwise."

After a moment to reflect, Nox added, "In fact, he's probably been trying to figure that out for the past week already." Nox suddenly issued new orders, "Darth Xalek, Shahn, I want you to increase the security of all of your transmissions as well as site security. Increase the complexity of your encryption algorithms, anything to make it harder for them to snoop on us. I believe the SIS are on Taris as well."

Xalek, Shahn, and Talos replied almost in unison, "Yes, my lord."

Nox said, to Talos Drellik, "Get Khem Val on."

Xalek hastily cautioned, "My lord, to keep our work secret from _certain others_, we have been using this holo-transmitter, with it's unique frequency, to contact Shahn. The _others_ do not have this frequency. If we use it to contact Khem Val, then..."

Nox said hotly, "Say no more! I'll use another device!"

Nox stormed out of the office. Xalek and Talos only spared a moment to exchange looks then continued their conference with Shahn to coordinate their efforts.

Xalek reflected appraisingly of Shahn, "So... You are _Sith_..."

Shahn replied brusquely, "Yes, my lord. I am Sith. Now let us discuss our search."

Xalek thought to himself of Shahn, "_I will watch you closely, snake hidden in tall grass, and I will be the one to strike first._"

Nox found Vulgren in his office and said, "I need to use your holo-transmitter."

Vulgren said, "Of course Dark Lord. Please, avail yourself of whatever you wish."

He began to rise from his overstuffed office chair behind his desk to leave his office, but Nox told him, "Keep your seat." Nox dialed the frequency of his temporary residence and, upon reaching 2V-R8, immediately ordered, "Get Khem Val."

2V-R8 replied, "Yes, master."

The droid disappeared from view and, a moment later, Khem Val appeared.

Nox told him, "Khem, get to the Headquarters right away. We've got work."

Khem Val, hopeful, asked, "Will I feast?"

Nox replied grimly, "As much as you'd like."

Khem Val replied eagerly, "I shall be at your side to destroy your enemies, Master!"

Nox cut the frequency, then turned to Vulgren and ordered him, "Tell your men they are to escort Khem Val to the conference room. I shall wait for him there. Also, be sure to get Nann's replacements. At this point, I don't trust that fool to wipe his own nose."

Vulgren replied soberly, "I've already discussed this with Darth Komo, Dark Lord. Darth Komo is working on the matter."

Nox nodded his approval, then added, "I don't want this broken brigade involved in any of the fighting until those failures, pretending to be Imperial officers, are replaced."

Vulgren replied dutifully, "As you wish, Dark Lord," but Nox was already out the door.


	7. A Hunt In The Deep Forest

A Hunt In The Deep Forest

Nox and Khem approached the first of the five hidden commando bases. Earlier, they had been dropped off by a small troop carrier that promptly left the scene. The two ran through the dense forest to arrive at their first target. The base looked like nothing more than a long abandoned storage shack.

The bases were only a few kilometers apart, so they would certainly hear any sounds of battle at any of their neighboring bases. Even with communications silence, they'd know they'd been discovered. The other commando teams would then likely abandon their bases and disappear into the dense forest.

Nox whispered to Khem, emphasizing, "Speed and silence."

Khem replied to Nox, whispering, "Then I shall wait to feast, until we've destroyed the last base, my master."

Nox was about to rush the final hundred meters to the shack's entrance, but Khem's huge hand held him back. He pointed to the left of where they hid behind ferns with his other hand. Nox looked in that direction and saw a single commando on patrol. Khem signaled that he would take the single patrolling commando, while Nox rushed the shack.

Nox nodded agreement. Khem waited until the commando got out from behind a sapling and entered a small clearing. He uncoiled his enormous frame, leaping through the air while drawing and activating his over-sized vibrosword.

Nox dashed for the shack a split second later, activating his sabrestaff as he ran. By the time he entered the shack, both ends of the dual bladed deep red lightsaber staff had fully activated.

Nox entered the shack just as Khem's vibrosword drove into the commando's helmet with a loud popping noise, splitting the helm apart along with the poor commando's skull. Nox rushed the table nearest the doorway he'd entered, seating four commandos playing a game of pazaak. In an instant of flashing and twirling sabrestaff, he cut the four men down in their seats.

He immediately Force Pushed the table, the chairs, and the bodies with such force, that when those smashed into the next table, with four others seated, the whole mass of furniture and bodies smashed, with a resounding crash, into the far wall. The wall partially collapsed from the tremendous impact of the mass of bodies and furniture. Nox then turned left and began to kill the commandos still trying to get out of their bunks.

Khem entered the shack and turned to the right side of the shack. Finding none in any of the bunks. He went to the back of the shack to untangle the tables, chairs, and bodies. Khem made sure there were no survivors. He cut them all in half, whether they were alive or already dead. Khem cheated. Lopping off a dead commando's forearm, he began snacking on it.

All was suddenly quiet again. Nox counted and inspected the bodies. Eleven bodies inside and one outside. All twelve had on them their identification tags. Nox noted that they were all equipped with high-grade but non-standard weapons and armor.

Nox nodded his satisfaction after storing the recovered identification tags.

He said to the Dashade, "Khem let's get to the next one before they figure out what's happening."

Khem Val spat out the bones from his snack as he headed out the door without a word, Nox was right behind him.


	8. Extraction

Extraction

Talos Drellik gave out a triumphant, "Ha!"

Xalek turned his head, away from his computer monitor and to the left side of the office, where Captain Drellik sat at a small desk. The desk had been moved into Frennus' office, so that Talos could get work done. Xalek quietly watched Talos read silently to himself, with an excited look on his face.

Then Talos finally exclaimed, "Here it is, my lord!"

Talos read to Xalek from an after action report written by Lord Shaythin, the Sith commander who oversaw Imperial troop movements during the final battle that broke the Republic on Taris and forced their withdrawal from the planet.

Tolos read aloud, _"Lord Kallig, apprentice to Darth Zash, working along side Thana Vesh, apprentice to Darth Gravus, have succeeded in slaying Jedi Master Cerik, and have chosen to allow non-combatants to escape the destruction of Olaris Spaceport."_

_Kallig_ was his name before he was conferred the title, _Darth Nox_, by the Dark Council.

Talos continued reading, _"Lord Kallig also destroyed Republic artillery which greatly eased the way for Imperial forces to advance and to capture the remnants of Olaris Spaceport and its surrounding light industrial, commercial, and residential districts."_

Talos stopped reading, and looked up to meet Xalek's eyes, to say, "There's more, Darth Xalek, but we've got what we need from the report - the name of the spaceport. Now all we need to do is find its coordinates on an old map, compare it to a current map, and we're set!"

Xalek pumped his fist victoriously, and exclaimed with exultation in his tone, "Yes! Darth Nox will be pleased with us both!" After a slight pause, wherein he reined in his excitement, Xalek said more soberly, "Let us find the spaceport, but I will be the one to instruct Shahn Lunn as to where to look."

Talos, smiling at what was a very rare display of emotions, from Xalek, said, "As you wish, my lord." Talos also realized Xalek would likely want to be the one to break the news to Darth Nox, so he resolved to let Xalek do it.

_"No sense unnecessarily getting on a Sith's bad side_", Talos thought to himself.

* * *

Meanwhile, about ten meters down the hall in another office, Lieutenant Millie Kine had just completed filing the latest reports written by Vulgren after sending a digital copy to Darth Komo via Imperial courier. Darth Komo would read it first thing in the morning. She also saw to it that Vulgren was given Darth Komo's answer about replacements for Colonel Igus Nann and his command staff, not to mention all of the officers leading troops in the field.

Darth Komo had decided to simply send an entire division of Infantry, from the Eastern Sector, to relieve his broken Imperial forces here in the Western Sector. Colonel Nann would then march his entire Brigade to a designated area outside of Imperial Settlement Number One, in the Southern Sector. There, the officers would be judged, case by case, and either be reassigned to other units or be sentenced and executed. The brigade colors would be retired, with all of it's troops getting scattered throughout the remaining divisions and brigades, stationed throughout Taris, to fill in vacancies as needed.

Millie thought to herself, "_Darth Komo must mean business if he's decided to replace a brigade with an entire division._"

She also made one additional set of copies of these reports and orders for her SIS handlers at Imperial Settlement Number Two. She kept a small chronometer in the pocket of her uniform tunic. It chimed a reminder tone. She took it out of her pocket. The chronometer reminded her to stop at the open air market to buy some fresh fruit before going home for the day.

This was actually an alert notifying her that Darth Xalek and Captain Drellik had spoken to one another. They rarely spoke to one another while working, but when they did it was always about their search for a Rakata relic or something. Millie was shocked to learn earlier that a Sith wearing a military uniform was on Taris all of this time, unnoticed.

Millie thought to herself, _"Unnoticed, no more!"_

Each time Nox visited them, or those two spoke to each other, she'd learn something new. The chime from her chronometer told her there might be more to learn. Lieutenant Kine walked to her desk and sat down. She set her chronometer near a framed portrait of she and her friends at a picnic in Imperial Settlement Number Three's Central Park.

Color portraits on photographic flimsiplast was a novel fad that was growing in popularity on Taris. She actually liked it better than holo-graphic portraits. The recorded conversation was uploaded to her chronometer from a tiny recorder embedded in the portrait frame. Millie replaced the chronometer in her tunic pocket and then walked to the lavatory to freshen up.

In the fresher stall, she transcribed the conversation between Darth Xalek and Captain Drellik onto a very narrow strip of flimsy. Then she rolled it into a tiny cylinder. Millie then inserted the tiny cylinder into a tiny feeder that fed the rolled up flimsiplast through a miniature holo-transmitter. The mini-holo-transmitter then sent the images of the transcribed conversations, orders, and reports to a contact nearby.

She didn't know who was receiving it, or where in town that person was. Later, as a back up, she planned to drop off the rolled up flimsiplast at the produce stand, along with the digital copies of the other reports and orders, for someone else to recover. She didn't know who that would be either.

Millie was thrilled to learn earlier that a Jedi was on Taris, but chagrined that Darth Nox had discovered it. She was sure that the Jedi, whoever it was, would find this information useful. Millie regretted that news of Darth Nox's attack on the Republic Commandos would not reach them in time.

She also regretted that the end of her assignment was nearing. It was a lot of fun for her. She was certain she would end up marching along with the rest of Colonel Nann's brigade to Imperial Settlement Number One. Therefore, Millie Kine decided it was time to work on her extraction from her SIS assignment.


	9. A Hunt In The Deep Forest, Part 2

A Hunt In The Deep Forest, Part 2

Nox and Khem had just left the fourth hidden commando base and made their way to the fifth and last of the known hidden commando bases in the Western Sector. They ran especially hard, because one of the commandos had gotten out a single worded warning over a short range audio communicator before Nox could cut him down.

"SITH...!"

Neither of them wanted the commandos to escape. Darth Nox did not want them to disappear into the deep forests to one day attack Imperial assets again, and Khem Val hadn't eaten more than a couple of bites. He was famished.

Creeping silently, carefully, the last few hundred meters towards the Republic Commando base, Khem spotted a Republic model 23-B94 sensor probe, and signaled Nox to its presence. The tiny sensor probe looked like, and moved like, an arachnid. It used photo-flexing technology to blend in with it's surroundings.

It camouflaged itself by using low level emissions force fields to bend light around itself, making it seem invisible. However, if it moved, it could be seen because of the lag photo-flexing technology suffered. It was unable to bend the light of it's immediate background quickly and smoothly enough as it changed locations.

In effect, it seemed to shimmer as it moved. So, if it was on a large green leaf, and then moved onto a patch of brown soil, it seemed to flicker between green and brown until it came to a stop. Then it would seem to vanish from view again.

Since the probe moved, it meant that its operator had not yet spotted Darth Nox and Khem Val. It also meant that the commando operating the probe droid was within two hundred meters, the maximum operator controlled range of this particular model.

These droids also had a very short battery life, meaning it had just been deployed. Nox surmised that meant that the warning had been received and that the commandos were ready for him.

"_Good!_" Nox thought savagely to himself, "_The fools have decided to stay and fight me!_"

The shack used as the commando's base was less than two hundred meters ahead surrounded by thick forest foliage. Nox waited for the droid to move again, he'd lost sight of it. When it did, he used The Force to pull it into his hands. Then he used The Force to crush it between his hands, instantly destroying the probe.

Khem Val broke his silence to say, "Now they know we are here. They are not in the hovel. I shall go right, you go left. We shall encircle the hovel, and crush them in the bush around it."

Nox, nodding his agreement, said, "Shout for me if you see the Jedi."

Khem, with a sudden craving for _Jedi meat_, said, "As you say, master, but I hope you shall grant him to me, and not attempt to bind him to your will." Then he bolted to the right.

Nox went left, thinking to himself, "_Jedi are too stubborn to so easily bind to one's will._"

Again, a stubborn Ashara Zavros came to his thoughts. He smiled admiringly at her strong force of will. Again, he began to miss her terribly.

Nox forcibly shoved her memory out of his thoughts, as the forest exploded in blaster fire.

They even had a portable blaster cannon among them. Blaster bolts seared the air as they broiled passed Nox's head. These blaster bolts exploded on the vegetation around him as he dodged the bolts.

The bolts led him right to one of the blaster cannon operators and three of his teammates. Nox had cut the four commandos down, then felt himself flying end over end - _with such force!_ His first thought was that he'd been caught in a bomb blast! However, he felt no heat from such a blast. It hurt an awful lot though.

Nox used The Force to recover in mid air and, barely avoiding smashing into some of the tree trunks, landed on his hands and knees. Nox winced as he saw that he'd barely missed chopping his own fingers off. The beam of his own sabrestaff was a bare few centimeters from his free hand on the ground, which momentarily caught ablaze.

He shouted as he scrambled back onto his feet, "Khem! There's a Jedi here, somewhere!"

Khem's shout, muted by the forest foliage, and occluded by the sounds of blaster fire, came back, "Then... *... shall ...*east well!"

The blaster fire suddenly ceased. Silence crashed onto Nox's ears.

Nox shouted into the dead silence, "Khem, they're running! Don't let them escape!"

Nox ran into the thick brush from where he'd last seen blaster bolts emanating. Suddenly, the loud explosive pop of a tree snapping in two filled his ears. His eyes immediately caught sight of the top part of a tree flying towards him.

He leaped over its leafy branches and watched as the upper part of the trunk swept beneath him. As he landed, the lower part of the trunk, its roots clumped with clay dirt, slammed into him and sent him flying.

Nox shook his head to clear the fog out of his mind, as he fought to recover his senses and regain his feet. He spat out a mouth full of clay dirt. His ears were ringing, and he hadn't fully recovered, but he countered with a massive Force Push. Anything that wasn't bolted, rooted, or otherwise firmly tethered to the ground was beaten back with a hammering force.

The sound of thousands of tree branches snapping and dozens of small to medium sized tree trunks breaking in two, and getting blown back, was unlike anything he'd heard before. However, he didn't dwell on that. Instead, he waited for the Jedi's counter.

A scream, and a few voices moaning in pain told Nox he'd hurt some of the fleeing commandos. A brief moment later, he heard them scream again as Khem Val found them and finished them off.

Nox expected the Jedi to go after Khem Val, to save his comrades. However, when Nox moved to join him, the Jedi leaped at him from behind a felled tree, acrobatically flipping through the air and twirling his deep-red, two-bladed light saber. Nox leapt sideways, avoiding the attack, and used force lighting to counter attack the Jedi Shadow, a Jedi trained in the arts of stealth and assassination.

The masked Jedi, wearing subdued colored armor under his dark robes, deflected the lightning barrage with his saber staff, plunging one end of his staff into the ground to direct the lightning into the ground. Then he lunged forward in the attack.

Nox used a spinning move with his saber staff which forced the Jedi to halt his charging attack. Then Nox countered with another Force Push, sending the Jedi flying back, and immediately followed that up with another lighting attack. This time he had connected. _She_ screamed from the searing agony of the lightning attack.

Nox thought, _"A woman?! So strong!"_

An image of Ashara, battling fiercely, flashed through his mind. Her image returned and would not leave his thoughts. He began to miss her, terribly. Nox found that he had trouble getting her image from his mind. Instead, he waxed nostalgic for her embrace.

Then Nox howled out a furiously anguished shout, as the realization came to him that the Jedi was using force persuasion to cloud his mind using the memory of his late wife. He shook off the Jedi's mind trick and then scanned his surroundings with The Force, to search for her in the thick trees and brush.

Nox expected her to attack again, but it remained quiet. Khem Val, stepping over broken tree boughs, felled trees, and avoiding ragged tree stumps sticking up from the ground, had joined Nox in the clearing that had been created earlier by Nox's explosive Force Push attack. Nox, now joined by Khem Val, waited a moment before realizing that she may have left the battle. He and Khem Val moved to where Nox had last seen her and searched.

After a thorough search, the two concluded that she had indeed gone, or had hid very well. Nox asked Khem, "How many commandos did we get?"

Khem Val answered, "I slew three, and the three that you wounded with the trees."

Nox, doing the math, concluded, "With the four I killed at the start of this mess, it means we got ten of them." Nox, shaking his head in disappointment, concluded, "Then, two escaped with the Jedi assassin."

Jedi rarely used assassination to solve problems, but those trained in the arts were referred by the Jedi as _Shadows_. However, the Sith only viewed that as Jedi hypocrisy and called them as they saw them, assassins.

Nox signaled Khem, indicating that he suspected the Jedi was still in the area. Khem signaled that he agreed.

Aloud, Nox said to Khem, "Well, grab whichever of these dead commandos seem tasty to you. You can eat him when we get back to base."

Khem Val, pointing at a felled commando and relishing his coming meal said, "This one here smells the best!"

From the markings on the armor, Nox concluded that it had to be the lieutenant leading the commando team. As Khem bent to pick up the body, the lieutenant groaned.

Khem said excitedly to Nox, "Ha! He yet lives! Then he shall remain fresh until I begin to feast on his flesh!"

Apparently, that was more than the Jedi could take. She came out from hiding and attacked Khem. Khem Val threw the lieutenant at her, but instead of dodging, she caught him, then fled. Weighed down by his body, she could not move as quickly, nor as stealthily.

Nox pursued her, but after a short chase that lasted all of ten paces, he stopped suddenly as the realization came to him that he was following a phantom. Somehow, she had used Force Persuasion again to trick him into following shadows. Nox cleared his mind and focused as he tried to sense the fleeing Jedi, but to no avail. She hid her presence with such expertise.

Khem, laughing at Nox, commented, "I wondered when my master would wake from his dreaming and cease to chase ghosts!"

Nox retorted lamely, "Yes, but you've lost your dinner."

Khem Val, realizing the truth of Nox's lame retort, said grimly, "We shall hunt her, and _she_ shall become my food."

Nox and Khem collected the identity tags from the dead around them.

As they did, Nox observed, "You know, Khem. You could just pick any one of these other commandos up for your dinner."

Khem Val turned his nose up at the notion, saying, "They smell terrible! Their meat is not worth considering."

Shrugging his shoulders, which hurt, and which reminded him of what the Jedi had done to him, Nox said, "Let us return."

Nox and Khem wasted no more time. It was late in the afternoon when the two began to run, not so hard this time, to the East and South until they came across a dirt road. It was later in the afternoon, when the two searched the area thoroughly, before Nox called for a shuttle to extract them from the forest.

As they sat, waiting for the shuttle's arrival, Khem Val observed, "My master, three commandos have escaped with their lives, and the Jedi _Master_."

Nox nodded his head, repeating, "And the Jedi _Master_."

Nox got out a kolto injector from his utility belt. He jabbed it into his bicep, through his flexible armor, to numb the pain that was starting to become quite a nuisance to him as the adrenaline in his bloodstream diminished.

Some time had passed as they sat waiting for the shuttle to arrive. Darth Nox had gotten in contact with Vulgren and gave new orders.

"There is no choice," he said. And then, "You'll need to send some of those broken troops to the commando bases that I trashed. I want them to collect any intel that may be found in them. Hurry."

He cut off his portable holo-transmitter before Vulgren could reply. A few hours after that, a shuttle finally arrived. It was dusk when Nox and Khem boarded and found a Black Ops team already on board.

Nox was greeted by Lieutenant Dains Miltner. "We are deeply honored to ride a shuttle back to base with our Dark Lord of The Sith fresh from battle! We've just completed our mission to recover intel from the devastation that you've left behind."

Miltner shook his head and smiled in deep admiration and awe.

Nox thought to himself, "_No wonder the shuttle took so damned long getting to me._" Then he asked the Black Ops team leader, "Did you find anything useful?"

Dains Miltner answered, "Lots of data pads, unit insignias, body counts, the usual stuff, Dark Lord. It still needs to be analyzed to determine what it all means, Dark Lord."

Nox nodded his understanding as he handed over the identification tags, he'd collected from the dead commandos, to Dains Miltner.

"Ah! There they are!" Miltner exclaimed, as he accepted the tags from Darth Nox.

Once strapped into his seat, Nox leaned back and closed his eyes to take a brief nap for the short flight back to the settlement. Khem Val, however, remained awake and kept his eyes on the Black Ops team sitting dangerously close to his master.


	10. Disaster and Opportunity, Together

Disaster and Opportunity, Together

At the shuttle port, Nox had been getting strange looks from the military personnel there. No one said anything. They just kept sneaking surreptitious glances at him as he strode past them.

Nox strode out of the brightly lit landing pad, then into and across the much darker grounds. Its well manicured lawns and precisely trimmed hedges were not easy to see in the late evening, especially after having his eyes blasted by the powerfully brilliant lights illuminating the landing pad.

Finally, Nox entered the headquarters building, with Khem Val trailing behind him. Again, the personnel began giving him those strange looks. The soldiers tried not to stare, but they kept sneaking looks at him.

He wondered, "_Why isn't Khem saying anything to these worms for looking at me the way they are?_"

In fact, Nox could swear, "_Khem's smirking at me!_"

He thought the troops were resenting him for sacking all of their officers, but he didn't see resentment in their eyes and instead felt shock, and even some awe, in their emotions. It was most puzzling to him.

He wondered again, "_If not resentment, then what?_"

On reaching Vulgren's offices, the first thing Nox noticed was that the officers present were all new to him. He spoke to one of them, a young female Human Ensign.

Nox called to her and demanded, "You! Ensign! Where's Vulgren?"

She snapped to attention, replying crisply, "He's in conference with Darth Komo in his office, Dark Lord!"

A Chiss officer with cobalt blue skin, bright red eyes (no whites, just red), and a full head of white hair, cut military short, approached Nox. He snapped to attention, saluted Nox sharply, then relaxed his stance after ending his salute.

He said to Nox, "My lord Darth Nox, I am General Riiy'enni'sansa. My _core name_ is Yennis. I command the 897th Infantry Division. You deeply honor us with your heroic presence, for you've come straight from the battlefield!"

Annoyance starting to edge his tone, Nox asked, "What of it?"

The General replied as though he hadn't noticed Nox's growing irritation, "Well, it's just that you're covered in cuts, bruises, dried blood, and are still bleeding, Dark Lord." The general waived a hand at one of his subordinates and ordered, "Summon a medical droid here, immediately."

Nox found a reflective surface, to inspect his wounds. He found that, not only was he badly cut and bleeding, but his hair was a mess! His face was smeared with blood soaked dirt, and looking down onto his vestments, he realized they were also filthy, smeared with clay dirt and dried blood.

Nox thought to himself, "_This explains the funny looks I've been getting since I've returned._" Aloud he said, "This is nothing. I was merely struck with a tree."

Yennis asked with mild incredulity in his tone and in his eyes, "You were struck with a... _a tree_, Dark Lord?"

Nox hid his amusement at the general's reaction as he replied, "Yes, with a tree. A Jedi Master threw it at me."

Yennis' eyes changed from expressing mild incredulity to showing realization, as he replied, "A _Jedi Master_ did this to you." Then with great concern for what that implied, added, "A _Jedi Master_ is on _this planet..._"

Nox, pleased that the general quickly understood the emergent nature of that bit of information, ordered him, "Summon your staff officers for a briefing in the conference room."

General Yennis, stomping his boot and coming to attention, replied crisply, "As you say, Dark Lord!" General Yennis then turned to his adjutant and ordered, "Major Geld, summon my command staff to the conference room for a debriefing. They are to report immediately."

Major Geld, a Human with dark tanned skin, also stomped his boot and also came to attention as he replied, "Yes, General!"

As he set about to carry out his orders, Nox thought to himself with some amazement, and with some approval, "_The officers have already been replaced? That's fast!_ _And these soldiers are better disciplined than that last bunch. Good._"

Yennis returned his attention to the Dark Councilor and said, "I beg your pardon, Dark Lord. Is there anything else you need of me? If not, then I shall see to it my intelligence section goes through the items collected by the Black Ops team in time for the debriefing."

Unreasonably, knowing they wouldn't be done in time, Nox ordered, "Get to it, but don't be late. I shall begin as soon as I'm done speaking with Vulgren and Darth Komo."

Nox turned and walked to Vulgren's office without waiting for the general's acknowledgement.

* * *

Nox entered the office without announcing himself, and interrupted the meeting between Vulgren and Komo.

He accused Vulgren, "You did not greet me when I returned, Vulgren. Has my presence here lost its novelty for you?"

Khem Val, suppressing a snicker, entered behind Nox and took up a position in the far corner of Vulgren's office.

Vulgren bent to his knees and pleaded, "Forgive me, Dark Lord. I..., I have very bad news to report."

Nox turned to Komo's image above the holo-projector. Komo shook his head, looking terribly displeased.

Nox returned his darkening gaze to Vulgren and snapped, "What bad news? Spill it!"

Vulgren, still kneeling before Nox, kept his eyes averted at Nox's dirt smeared, armored-booted feet, and reported, "Darth Komo – in response to your orders to replace Igus Nann and his failed officers, has sent General Yennis and his command staff to immediately take over command of the Western Sector. They arrived by shuttle less than thirty minutes after you departed with your servant to destroy the commando bases.

"Yennis' security team ejected everyone, from Nann's command, out of their offices and desks and immediately began scanning for spying devices. They found many of them planted throughout the headquarters, Dark Lord."

Nox's anger began to build as he realized what this implied for him and his secret search, but he continued to listen quietly as Vulgren continued his report. Vulgren could feel the heat of Nox's building rage, and could feel the increasingly oppressive power of the Dark Side flowing from Nox the longer he spoke.

He felt suffocated as he labored to speak, "They arrested Lieutenant Millie Kine for espionage. They found... recorded conversations... on Lieutenant Kine's desk, Dark Lord,..." Vulgren paused for breath and gulped down his fear before resuming. "... including conversations held... by your subordinates... in Lord Frennus' office."

Nox shouted, "Enough!"

Vulgren was startled, at Nox's shout, but became silent. The oppressive weight of Nox's Dark Side aura pouring from him pressed down on Vulgren's body, pushing down on him. He ended up on his hands and knees before Nox, working hard to hold up his weighted down body, but somehow, he kept his head up enough to look at Nox's feet. Vulgren waited for his end to come. The pressure of Nox's fury and Dark Side power continued to increase until Vulgren started to gasp for breath.

Vulgren felt death caress his soul. He closed his eyes, thinking, "_My luck has abandoned me._"

After a moment to rein in his wrath, Nox asked, "Who is your security manager? Why didn't he detect these breeches in security?"

Vulgren, surprised that he hadn't yet been killed, answered, "The security manager... was Lieutenant Millie Kine. She..."

Nox cut him off, "Get out, Vulgren. I need to speak to your master, and I don't want you here for that."

The oppressive Dark Side energy was suddenly gone.

Vulgren, suddenly able to breath again, simply replied, "Yes, Dark Lord."

He scrambled quickly to his feet and fled from his own office. As the door slid closed behind him, he ran towards the exit of his headquarters. His officers in the outer office, also recovering from Nox's toxic aura, watched him flee. Vulgren didn't notice his officers' panicked stares, as he gave serious thought to flee from the planet as well.

Nox took a moment to collect his thoughts. Then he walked to the back of Vulgren's desk and sat in his chair. After several moments to think about what damage may have been done to his secret search, Nox finally looked up at Darth Komo's image above the holo-projector. Komo had been shaking his head slowly, his face cast down with a look of disgust on it.

When he realized Nox was looking at him, he looked up to face Nox and asked, "What is your will, Dark Lord?"

Nox said, "There have been way too many mistakes committed here, Darth Komo, serious mistakes."

He paused for a moment to see if Komo would say anything to that. Komo remained silent.

Nox continued, "One or two errors committed by subordinates is one thing, but this level of security breech should have been detected at all levels, not just at the local command."

Nox paused again to see what he would say. Komo said nothing.

Nox concluded, "This is something that I have no choice except to report to your master, Darth Acina."

Komo closed his eyes and bowed his head in resignation.

When he opened his eyes and looked up again, he spoke.

"I propose a trade, Dark Lord."

Nox, instantly incensed, rose slowly to his feet.

He growled out, "You dare think to bribe me?! You dare take me for some cheap politician that..."

Darth Komo raised his hands placatingly, pleading, "No! Dark Lord! Not a bribe! I pray you! Hear me out, Dark Lord! I offer you crucial information in exchange for clemency!"

Nox's fury was tempered by his confusion, prompting him to ask incredulously, "_Huh?!_" Then he demanded, "What in damnation are you babbling about?!"

Komo, seeing a chance for negotiations, answered straightforwardly, "Darth Acina has learned something scandalous about you and intends to use it against you at the up coming Dark Council meeting to discredit you. She intends to bring you down by planting rumors about this scandal among your power base and to chip away at your support. In fact, she has already begun."

Nox sat down again, falling silent while taking his eyes off of Komo, he became introspective as he began thinking to himself, _"So, she is my enemy! Why has The Force brought me into her domain?! Then has Komo been plotting against me, as well?!"_

He returned his furious gaze to Komo, and said in a low voice that told Komo he had only one shot.

"I'll listen, for now."

Nox did not notice Komo breathe a silent sigh of relief, as he prepared to gamble and make his play, knowing his life was in the balance. What he said next would save him, or kill him.

He told Darth Nox, "Darth Acina told me that you hold captive, and in your service, a Jedi who has resisted all of your efforts to turn her to the Dark Side of The Force. Darth Acina also told me, that not only has your captive failed to come over to the Dark Side of The Force, but that she has succeeded in influencing your policies and decisions. This Jedi has thus made you an unwitting pawn of her Light Sided objectives."

Nox remained silent, thinking to himself, _"He speaks of her in the present tense. Then they still haven't learned of her death."_

This told Nox he had no traitors among his closest servants. No one, outside of his immediate circle, knew of Ashara's death at his hands.

Komo continued speaking, "I _know_ it is a _lie_, Dark Lord. Your actions, and the actions of your power base, your policies, all show the truth of your Dark Side passions! But, since when has that ever stopped anyone from planting the seeds of falsehood within a garden of truth? Since when has that stopped jealous rivals from seizing the opportunity to play along, _knowing that it was all lies_, simply to bring you down?"

Komo paused for breath. He had been looking at Nox, carefully. He'd been looking for any signs that he might have made an impression on the dark lord, but Nox showed him nothing, except fury and blood lust.

Komo quickly continued speaking, "Of course, I had to report your presence here on Taris. I had to ask _her permission_ before _asking for your aid_. She knows you are here, my dark lord, Darth Nox. This is when she told me of these scandalous lies."

Nox nodded once, conceding the point. He clearly did tell Komo to ask Acina for her permission to ask for his aid. Komo, seeing this, realized he'd bought a little more time, and continued speaking, but this time he made his play to begin the negotiations.

He said to Nox, "In truth, you hold the key to undo her attempts at scandal and to turn the tables against her. I could play a role in making that happen, Dark Lord."

Nox, his tone dripping with suspicion, asked, "_How?_ What are you _thinking?_"

Komo dared to hope and answered, "In truth, you have done much more to bring into realization the Empire's goal of resettling Taris. The Empire has given the Republic a black eye when it caused the Republic to abandon its resettlement efforts almost ten years ago. Your actions, under Darth Gravus, made it happen.

"Now, here we are again! Only this time it's the Republic that threatens to black the Empire's eye! And again it is _you_ who is seeing to it, _personally_, that the Empire overcomes this threat while Darth Acina sits on Dromund Kaas, not even looking into why there has been so much trouble here." After a pause for breath, Komo added, "Unlike Frennus, I send properly _accurate_ reports."

Nox was skeptical.

Komo persisted, driving his selling point home, "Her failure to see to the troubles_ herself_, has forced you to take action, Dark Lord! You have every right to take control of Taris and all of its operations. You have demonstrated the will to see, to the end, the successful resettlement of Taris! It is you who deserves to reap the wealth that Taris will bring when the resettlement project goes into full swing, Dark Lord!"

Then he added the trade he wanted to make, "This will also place _me_ under your direct service, and I'll be able to testify to the Dark Council, for instance, that _Darth Acina has asked me to lie about you to the Dark Council_."

Nox didn't trust Komo. He didn't believe him, but he didn't want to give Komo anything to use against him.

He lied, badly, saying, "I'll think about it."

Darth Komo wasn't blind. He could plainly see that he'd failed to sell Nox on his proposal. He pushed, and risked a bit of blackmail.

He spoke apologetically, "Forgive my forwardness here, Dark Lord. Darth Acina has required that I discover the purpose of your research here on Taris. Because of Lieutenant Kine's spy recordings of your subordinates, among other recordings, I have discovered an important clue to give to her."

Khem Val made note that this was the second time those recordings were mentioned and decided to give these recordings a listen.

Meanwhile, Komo continued speaking, "However, I've told you before that I was indebted to you. As such, I thought it best _not to report what I've learned_. In this way, my earlier debt to you for your earlier assistance has been repaid, but it seems that I'll be indebted to you for the rest of my days if you... bring me into your service, Dark Lord."

Nox remained silent. He thought about the Jedi Master who surely knew by now of his objectives on Taris. However, to also have Darth Acina's servants digging around on Taris as well...

He also considered that Acina's ploy to discredit him before the Dark Council had real teeth in it. It was true what was said about Ashara Zavros, his late wife. She was willful, refusing to convert to the Dark Side, and she _had modified_ many of his policies.

"_But it was a matter of efficiency, not a matter of egalitarian concerns!_" Nox had told himself.

Nox felt cornered. His first impulse was to lash out and to kill Komo, a servant of Acina. However, something in the back of his consciousness, (_his instincts?_), made him pause. He understood Komo was asking for protection from Darth Acina in exchange for his testimony to discredit her before the Dark Council, but he didn't know if he could trust Komo.

Deciding to follow his instincts and not his impulses, Nox spoke carefully, "It seems Darth Acina has mismanaged Taris to such a degree that it has threatened to make the Empire seem weak to its friends and allies, and to its enemies as well. I'll have to manage the resettlement effort myself. Are you averse to working for me, Darth Komo?"

Nox's facial expression, the coldness of his eyes, and the fury tinting his words over the holo-projector, told Komo that Nox would rather just kill him. Komo realized that he'd probably bought just enough time to produce some results to show Nox his usefulness to him, but he was grateful for the chance.

Nox watched as Komo's holographic image bent to its knees, and listened as Komo intoned reverently to him, "You have proven more worthy of ruling over Taris than she has. You have proven your resolve to make Taris into an example of Imperial might, and to demonstrate the Empire's strength of will to undertake a ruined world, and to make it into a world of prosperity, glory, and great promise! The Empire, as conqueror and as builder, under _your wise rule_ over Taris! It would be my privilege to serve under you, my dark lord. My life for yours, Darth Nox!"

Nox replied, vile disgust and deep anger still tinging his tone, "In that case, your first order of business is to conduct a thorough audit of your security throughout your entire command over all of Taris, including the orbital station. If the SIS has so thoroughly compromised your command at Imperial Settlement Number Three, there's no telling what other damage has been done elsewhere."

Komo, still kneeling, said, "As you will, Dark Lord."

Nox pushed, testing Komo's allegiance to him, "_My enemies and my rivals_ may have spies watching things here as well. _Find them and destroy them!_"

Komo knew Nox was referring to Darth Acina's loyal servants, and spies, still serving under Komo's command.

His Nexu smile returned as he promised, "It shall be an easy matter, my dark lord."

Nox asked Komo, threateningly, "Do I have to tell you what will happen to you if you betray me?"

Komo assured Nox by pointing out, "Darth Acina would kill me whether I betray her or not. I've embarrassed her with my request to ask for your aid. I've embarrassed her with the need to remove an entire command structure, because of incompetence that _you've_ uncovered and corrected _instead of her_. The discovery of this security breech will further embarrass her. I at least have a small chance of surviving this while serving _you_, my dark lord, Darth Nox."

Nox replied, with a warning in his tone, "I hope you don't end up _embarrassing me_ in the future, Komo."

Nox cut the transmission, and wondered to himself, _"What has stayed my hand against Vulgren and Komo? Ordinarily, I would have killed them both."_

He decided that somehow The Force was guiding him, but to what end he could not divine. The Force's guidance or not, Nox felt disgusted for allowing himself to get to a point where he felt the need to bend to blackmail.

He remained silent for a long while, wherein he meditated on how he would carry out his hostile take over of Taris from Acina. He also pondered what he would need to tell the Dark Council at the next Council meeting to justify his takeover of Taris.

Nox said aloud to himself, "_Well, at least I get a planet out_ _of this mess._"

He got up from behind Vulgren's desk and left the office. Khem Val silently followed Nox out.


	11. Debrief

Debrief

Nox entered Lord Frennus' old office and found that Xalek and Talos were not present. Then he remembered the hour. It was already night time.

He thought to himself, "_Perhaps they've already left for the day, or they've moved their operations to the apartments..._" Aloud, to himself, he said, "_What a mess._"

As he left the office, he failed to realize that Khem Val did not follow him out.

Khem Val asked himself, "_Will I will find his plot to betray me in this place?_"

Nox walked to the conference room and found everyone in attendance waiting for him including, to Nox's amazement, Vulgren. He sat at the side of the conference room with the junior officers. His eyes were cast to the floor, not meeting Nox's. Nox wondered why he hadn't run. He spared a quick glance at Vulgren as he took his place at the head of the conference table.

Wanting to get to business, Nox announced, "Let us begin."

Nox started to give an account of his operations against the Republic Commandos and his encounter with the Jedi Master. Sometime during his brief, he noticed that Khem Val was absent from the conference room. Something didn't feel right to him, but he decided to deal with it later.

Yennis, noting Nox's very foul mood, thought to improve Nox's mood, saying, "Forgive my forwardness if I observe that it is a very rare privilege to see a ruler of the Sith Empire return fresh from battle. We hear of the many exploits of our rulers on the Dark Council from others, but only a very precious few of us are fortunate enough to see it for ourselves."

Nox's foul mood, from what had just occurred in Vulgren's office, had not improved at all as evidenced by his rather snappish reply, "Let's keep to the subject here. There is too much work that needs to be done."

If General Riiy'enni'sansa at all felt slighted by Nox's brusqueness he hid it rather well, as he replied in an upbeat and positive manner, "Of course, Dark Lord. We are ready to get the job done. How do you wish to proceed?"

Nox, for the first time since meeting him, carefully regarded Yennis, and thought, "_A Chiss general? An alien commanding human Imperial troops? He must be quite accomplished to have been elevated to such a high grade in rank, even if this is a backwater post._" He resolved to watch him carefully, thinking, "_If he's any good, I'll recommend him to Moff Pyron._"

Nox's tone was still brusque, however, as he asked the general, "Did your people find anything of use from what was recovered at the commando bases?"

A medical droid approached Nox and speaking quietly, announced to the dark lord while seeking permission, "Dark Lord, I shall attend to your injuries while the briefing is in progress. Do you approve?"

Nox approved, ordering, "Yes, but keep quiet."

The droid began to treat Nox's injuries without another word, keeping quiet as ordered.

Yennis commanded his intelligence officer, "Major, begin the briefing."

The major, a human, introduced herself and began her briefing.

"Major Nordath Fey, intelligence officer for the 897th Infantry Division, Dark Lord."

Nodding towards the two Black Ops team leaders seated at the far end of the conference table, she reported, "Black Ops recovered communications equipment along with data pads containing contact information with encryption keys for several entities operating on Taris on the Republic's behalf. In addition, several decrypted messages have been recovered. Most were after action reports of operations conducted by the commandos against Imperial assets. Black Ops also recovered orders to take out top Imperial leaders stationed here on Taris, and orders to sabotage several targets."

Nox, having heard nothing except for a list of things Black Ops had recovered, interrupted saying, "Tell me something actionable. I don't want to hear about a list of what was recovered. Tell me where they will strike, when they'll attack, etc."

Nox found her no-nonsense style of speaking, with a strong and professional military sounding voice a stark contrast to that airy messenger from before.

The mere thought of her caused fury to take his mind from the conference for a moment as he raged at himself, "_That blasted spy, Millie Kine! She deceived me!_"

Khem Val spoke out loud, breaking him from his scorching rage, telling Nox, "My master, your weak minions cower before your fury! Ha!"

Nox, noticing Khem Val had decided to show up to the conference room, recovered his composure. His oppressive pall of darkness and demon-like rage abated. The officers, gathered for the conference, began recovering from their maddening terror. This was the second time they had been overcome with such awful terror because of Nox's putrid aura. The first time was earlier, when he was in Vulgren's office.

Nordath Fey resumed her report with difficulty. Her strong confident voice was gone. She spoke with a shaky voice, barely holding back her fright.

"These commando units, - which my dark lord a-annihilated, w-were to carry out ass-ssassinations of t-top Imperial leaders, - including D-Darth Komo, Lord Vulgren, and top - army officers."

She used her sleeve to wipe tears from her eyes. General Yennis had been fighting off his own crippling fear while rubbing his temples and his face.

Nordath said to the troubled Chiss officer, "General, - y-you're - you're on this list, t-too."

Major Nordath Fey returned her eyes to the notes she held in both of her trembling hands. She did not wish to look at Darth Nox. She feared what she might see sitting there.

She said in her still shaking voice, "Th-There are two-oo - other sets of o-orders that were t-to be carried out at the s-same t-time. - Acts of sabotage aa-and vandalism, and a hijacking o-of Imperial broad - c-cast channels in order to broadcast their p-propa - propaganda when a - all of their operations were completed."

Nordath had trouble with the controls at first, but as she finally began to overcome her terror, she willed herself to concentrate and finally managed to bring up an image of a two dimensional topographical map and pointed out the target locations. As she continued speaking, a little bit of her strength returned. Her voice was still weak, but her stammering had ceased as she continued her briefing, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

She reported, "These acts of sabotage were to be committed simultaneously in the Eastern, Western, Northern, and Southern sectors. It would not be possible for the slaughtered commandos to carry out the assassinations _and_ the acts of sabotage spread throughout the region by themselves. This can only mean that other commando units would have to carry out the other assignments in order to satisfy their operational timetables, my dark lord."

Having fully recovered from the effects of Nox's _nox_ious aura, Yennis interjected adding a comment clarifying that he believed there were others operating besides commandos.

He said in a clear and confident tone, "Other commando units, Dark Lord, _or well trained militia operatives_."

Nox was well aware of the effect his Dark Side aura had on non-force sensitives. He merely sat silently through their torment, waiting for them to recover as though nothing had been amiss. He wasn't inclined to do anything more than wait for the officers present to recover on their own.

Nox only nodded his agreement with the general's belief of the possibility that the commandos could train the militia to conduct sabotage on Imperial targets.

However, he asked the Chiss officer, "Have there been ambushes, acts of terrorism, or sabotage in the other sectors by Republic Commandos before, or just in the Western Sector?"

General Yennis replied, "Only in the Western Sector, Dark Lord, but this report indicates that they have intentions of spreading their activities to the other sectors."

Nox turned to Nordath, ordering her, "Major Fey, continue your report."

Nordath took strength from her commanding general's confidence, and spoke more calmly, "As you wish my dark lord."

She changed the image of the map to include symbols denoting the exact locations of planned attacks. Strength returned to her voice, and her military professionalism began to assert itself again as she continued her briefing.

"These acts of sabotage and murders are scheduled to be carried out twelve hours from now, Galactic Standard Time. The orders had an attachment that listed nine targets, not including the targets for assassination."

General Yennis nodded proudly as he listened to his intelligence officer regain her strength. Nordath read the list of targets as she pointed them out on the map image.

Then she concluded her report, saying, "The orders were issued by one code named, _Light Bringer._ We do not know who Light Bringer is. That is, we don't have information on that, yet, Dark Lord. This concludes my briefing. Have you any questions for me, Dark Lord?" She turned to Yennis, "General Yennis?"

General Riiy'enni'sansa turned to Darth Nox and pointed out, "Light Bringer might be your Jedi Master, but we'll get more evidence to learn who it actually is, Dark Lord."

Nox nodded, then suggested, "I doubt commandos could kill Darth Komo. His likely assassin may be that Jedi."

General Yennis nodded and said, "I'll take precautions against that possibility, my dark lord."

Nox surmised that Darth Acina would likely order Darth Komo's execution, if Komo kept his word and slaughtered her spies. Thinking of this, Darth Nox told the general, "No. I'll send one of my own to protect him."

Riiy'enni'sansa nodded and replied, "As you say, Dark Lord."

Yennis, continuing his analysis, said, "Dark Lord, these rebels have likely spread the word amongst themselves of the slaughter of 57 of their commandos at your hands. My guess is that they will have assumed that their security has been compromised and their orders intercepted. My intentions are to increase surveillance of the targeted areas, and increase personal protection for the targeted individuals, as a precaution."

Nox nodded to show he agreed with the general's assessment and plan of action.

General Yennis continued his analysis, saying, "The likeliest scenario is that they will think themselves compromised and will abandon their orders. If there are more commando units present, they may opt to relocate to new bases in case you go after them at their current locations.

"Therefore, we should increase patrols in all sectors to increase our chances of detecting their movements. We can start now by deploying hunter killer droids, surveillance droids, and sentry droids to the aforementioned target locations to show we're on to them. If they opt to move to their new bases, our sensor droids should catch any movements they might make as they relocate."

Nox asked, doubt clouding his face and tone of voice, "You don't want to send troops out now?"

Yennis told Nox, "My Division is packing up now. They'll hit the road and be on the march to the Western Sector by early tomorrow morning, but they will not actually arrive here until late morning the day after tomorrow. However, I can send out warnings to the other Imperial forces posted in the other sectors to get things rolling in those areas. Also, we have plenty of droids here in the Western Sector. Those can be programmed and deployed withing a couple of hours, my dark lord."

The medical droid finished treating Nox's injuries and said quietly, "Treatment is completed, Dark Lord. Here is a supply of Kolto injectors if you need them for pain. Please follow up with your primary doctor for a check up."

The droid placed the cartridge of injectors onto the conference table in front of Nox, then walked out of the conference room. Nox absently secured the cartridge of injectors in the supply compartment of his utility belt.

As he returned his hands to the table, he pointed out, "There is still the matter of the rebel militia. They could conceivably mobilize now to launch retaliatory strikes against Imperial assets. Don't you think, General?"

Yennis pointed out to Nox, "Colonel Nann had no other assets assigned to him because no one had any idea how bad things really were in the Western Sector. His brigade was eviscerated when it lost all of its command elements. They are demoralized and useless as they are. I can't use them. We'll have to depend on the droids until my own troops get here, Dark Lord."

Darth Nox countered, "Even if they are useless in tactical operations, they could at the very least be used to post as guards and sentries to protect critical areas in this sector, at least until your division arrives.

General Yennis nodded his understanding and replied, "As static security forces, they can still serve a need. I'll see to it, Dark Lord."

Nox stood and said, "Inform me as the situation develops. I have other matters to attend."

Yennis, and everyone else in the briefing room, stood as the general replied, "Yes, Dark Lord."

Nox was about to pass through the doorway to exit, but stopped.

He turned around and asked, "What's been done about Lieutenant Millie Kine?"

Yennis looked at his security manager and said, "Major?"

The security manager, a human, introduced himself, "Major Riv Danthk, security manager for the 897th Infantry Division, Dark Lord. She has been questioned. We have discovered that she is actually an infiltrated SIS agent. She is being held in custody pending arrival of Imperial Intelligence agents to retrieve her."

Nox said, "I'm glad I asked." He turned to face Yennis and said, "I don't want her leaving Taris. I will personally deal with her. Escort her to my apartments, immediately. Also, make arrangements for a carbonite freezing apparatus to be sent to my apartments.

"When those Imperial Intelligence agents arrive, bring them up to speed with what's been happening, then task them to investigate Imperial Settlement Number Two. I want them to identify the SIS agents operating there. If they are identified, use Black Ops to capture them."

Yennis replied, "As you wish, Dark Lord."

Darth Nox added, "Give the agents whatever support they ask for to accomplish their tasks."

Then he turned and left the conference room. Khem Val had already gone on ahead of Nox, who had started to realize that Khem Val was up to something. Outside of the headquarters, Nox was about to board a speeder whose driver, an Imperial soldier of the disgraced infantry battalion, was tasked to take him back to the apartments. Khem Val finally arrived outside and joined his master, just in time to board the military staff speeder.

On the way back, Khem Val spoke, asking. "My master, why do you seek _her_ prison?"

Nox was shocked into surprise. His eyes opened wide and his mouth opened a little, as he wondered to himself, _"Where had I blundered to let Khem discover my true purpose?!"_

However, Nox quickly recovered. He shook his head slowly as he said aloud to himself, "_Truly, everything is coming undone. What a rotten mess this is._"

Khem Val said, making an assumption of what he believed Nox had intended, "Then it is as I have suspected. You will bring that witch back out."

Nox spoke calmly, quietly, "We'll not speak of it here, Khem. Wait until we're back at the apartments."

Nox eyed Khem Val, fury in his eyes. Fury, not at Khem Val, but at how The Force seemed to be betraying him at every turn.

Khem Val remained silent the remainder of the trip, but his eyes bore fearlessly, defiantly into his master's eyes.


	12. A Discussion In Nox's Foyer

A Discussion in Nox's Foyer

Darth Nox and Khem Val, entering the vestibule of the condominiums, were greeted by 2V-R8.

"Good evening, Master. Darth Xalek and Captain Drellik have been awaiting your arrival. They are in the foyer of your residential suite on the third level."

Nox spoke wearily, "Very well. Fix me something to eat. I'm hungry. I'm sure Khem Val wants something too. I'm certain he's _famished_."

Khem Val said, regretfully, "I should not have thrown my food at that Jedi."

2V-R8 said to Nox, "I will prepare a wonderfully nutritious and satisfying dinner for you, Master."

Darth Nox, Khem Val, and 2V-R8 entered the turbo lift.

In the lift, the Dashade growled at the droid, "What dinner will you prepare for me, or do you wish to become a twisted pile of scrap and smoking circuits?"

2V-R8 merely replied, "I have your favorite food on hand, Master Khem. Shall I prepare that for you, or did you want something different?"

Khem Val kept his eyes forward as the doors to the lift opened to Nox's apartment, replying, "No, that will do."

As the three exited the lift, 2V-R8 replied, "As you wish, Master Khem."

To Darth Nox, it was normal for 2V-R8 to fix dinner for everyone of his servants in his most inner circle. It never occurred to him to ask 2V-R8 whose corps was being made into Khem Val's dinner, nor from where the droid had acquired it.

Later that night, as Khem feasted on the beautiful cuts of meat, he would think to himself, "_This meat is overcooked..._"

Nox was greeted by Xalek as he stepped off the lift and entered the foyer.

"My Master, I have wonderful news, and I have terrible news."

Talos opened his eyes wide in shock at Nox's disheveled appearance. He would have asked Nox what had happened, if Xalek hadn't spoken first.

Nox replied quickly, before Xalek could say more, "Not here. As you may be aware, Lieutenant Millie Kine was arrested on charges of espionage. She's been here to deliver a report to me."

Xalek sensed Nox's anger as he spoke about the spy and basked in Nox's hate infused fury as it washed over him. Talos wore several Sith artifacts under his uniform tunic that allowed him to endure Nox's oppressive malevolence, which radiated from him from time to time. Talos remained silent, fighting to keep his composure. Nox's malign aura had grown more powerful since that terrible day on the ship, and his dark aura had begun to overcome Talos' Sith talismans.

Xalek, addressing Nox's concern, said, "My master, I ordered Major Riv Danthk to sweep your two apartment buildings for spy devices. As you have suspected, two were found and removed from your personal quarters."

Nox, having been stung hard by the knowledge that his secret search was no longer secret, persisted, "But can we even talk here?"

Khem Val, looking at Xalek, said, "It was wise to choose to wait here. This place is away from windows and is closed off from other rooms with all of the doors shut." He turned to look at Nox and said, "We can talk here, my master."

Xalek nodded agreement.

Darth Nox, satisfied with Khem Val's and Xalek's assessment, said, "Very well. Give me an update. What have you learned so far."

Xalek got strait to the point, "Since you know about Lieutenant Kine, my lord, then you already know the terrible news."

Nox expressed his dissatisfaction with that answer, and demanded, "Don't leave it at that. Tell me what you know about how bad things are."

Xalek said simply, "They know everything we've discussed in that office."

Nox said grimly, shaking his head in disgust, "Which means they know it all."

Xalek shifted his eyes quickly between Khem Val and Nox. He hesitated before saying, "We should discuss the rest privately, my master."

Nox got to the point as he revealed, "Khem figured it out. He's too good at sniffing out secrets to keep them from him for too long. Go ahead, speak."

Talos looked stunned at hearing that revelation, but he kept silent as his eyes shifted to Khem Val.

Xalek pointedly kept his eyes on Nox as he spoke, "They do not know the nature of what it is you seek, only that it is an ancient Rakata artifact."

He hesitated to say more as his eyes shifted to Khem Val and then back to Nox again.

Nox ordered Xalek, "Continue your report, Darth Xalek."

Xalek obeyed, saying, "We have discovered the name of the spaceport. It is _Olaris Spaceport_, and we've found it's location. That much we spoke of in the office. We have also located several warehouses in the vicinity, and have isolated the likeliest one based on your recollections. This we also discussed in the office, but not precisely which warehouse. However, a little searching along the street may be all they need to find it before us, Dark Lord."

Nox, glad for a little good news, said, "That you've found its location is some good news, but that they too will know where to search means that we must act quickly."

Nox's fury waned as he looked forward to searching for the relic at the ruins. Talos Drellik sweated under his military uniform, but with Nox's receding dark aura, combined with the barely adequate help of the Sith made amulets he wore under his uniform, he was able to breath again.

So he spoke, advising Nox, "Dark Lord, I caution against assuming the relic is still there. We may have discovered the location in question, but it is still possible that what we seek has been shipped off-world."

Nox, conceded the point, and asked, "Are you still sifting through the shipping manifests to determine that?"

Talos nodded and said, "Yes, my lord. We still are."

Nox simply acknowledged, "Good."

Talos decided he needed to do more research on other amulets and talismans that could better guard against Nox's oppressively malign aura.

He thought to himself, _"Obviously, the ones I have on now are not doing the job!"_ He asked himself, "_I wonder if the Jedi have anything that can protect against Dark Side energy?_"

He decided to look into the matter at his first opportunity.

Thinking of the massive security failure at Vulgren's headquarters, Nox asked Xalek and Talos, "Can you convert your apartments into your work center, or are the facilities here inadequate?"

Talos answered first, "We can get work done, but security will be a major problem. These buildings are a sieve when it comes to computer data coming and going. They'll be able to read whatever comes and goes from here. It's all wireless, my lord."

Xalek hid his annoyance at Talos for speaking before him, adding, "It is so, my master. The computer networks in these buildings only have civilian grade security hardware and protocols implemented."

Nox turned to look at Khem Val, but before Nox could ask him, Khem Val announced, "I will set the security at the office at the headquarters."

Nox, nodding his satisfaction, said, "Good."

Xalek said to his master, "On your order, we are ready to go search. Shall I inform Shahn Lunn, my lord?"

Nox, already forming a plan, said, "No. Tell her to come to the Settlement. I will meet with her and the rest of you at the office tomorrow. We will discuss it then."

Xalek then announced his intentions to Nox, "Then I will need to commandeer a shuttle to fetch her tonight, my lord."

Nox, nodding his approval, said, "Then do it."

Xalek bowed his head and said, "I will go now, Dark Lord."

Xalek lifted his head and walked past Darth Nox to the turbolift and left the apartment.

Nox turned to Talos and demanded, "Tell me the truth. Did you do all of the work and discover the information, or did Darth Xalek do any of the work himself?"

Talos, bowing from the waist and becoming disappointed that Nox doubted his apprentice, Xalek, answered, "My lord, Darth Nox, Darth Xalek split the work load evenly between the two of us. I was the lucky one to find the relevant data."

Nox, sensing and ignoring Talos' feelings, said, "Good. Then I shall reward both of you appropriately for your hard work. Go now to your apartment and rest. I shall give new orders at the office in the morning."

Talos asked with doubt in his voice, "My lord, do you still intend to use that office? The SIS...,"

Nox interrupted, saying, "I think the new security manager has been thorough. I believe he will be vigilant, and Khem Val will increase security as well."

Talos replied, "As you say, Dark Lord." As Talos walked past Nox on his way to the turbo lift, he said, "I shall sleep like a stone tablet in a tomb, my lord."

The lift doors closed, and Talos was gone.

Nox immediately turned to face Khem Val and said, "I want Zash as my apprentice. I have found a candidate body for this purpose. I don't want you and Zash fighting anymore."

Khem Val was silent for a long time. He determined to discover if his master intended to betray him. If he was not satisfied with Nox's answer, he was prepared to kill him.

Then he finally spoke, expressing his fears, saying, "When that witch returns to my body, I know we shall always fight, Master."

Nox told Khem Val, "No, Khem. You are not the candidate. I have found someone else more appropriate. That is why I don't want you fighting. I don't want you to kill Zash, Khem. Do you understand me?"

Khem asked, "And what if she attacks me, Master?"

Nox replied, "Then knock sense into her. Break her arms. I don't care, but do not kill her – and do not render her a mindless vegetable."

Nox's answer was enough for him to determine that Nox had no intention of giving his body back to his hated enemy. Yet, it vexed him greatly that Nox would not allow him to kill her.

Khem Val exclaimed angrily, "Cruel fate laughs at me again! The day of my vengeance nears, but you have forbidden it, Master! Even if I do not like this, it is your will, my master. I will obey, but if I find myself betrayed..." Khem leaned forward slightly and continued, "I will kill you, _my master_."

Nox, not backing down, answered, "I am strong. My power is unmatched. I don't need to betray to get what I want or what I need." Nox lied, and he knew Khem Val knew it was a lie, but he continued speaking, "However, I must always be ready for betrayal, even from those loyal to me." Nox looked pointedly into Khem's eyes and said, "You will die before you ever taste a drop of my blood."

Khem stood back and laughed, "Ha! It may be true that I will never eat your flesh, but before I die, I will have tasted your blood - _again_."

Nox, remembering their first and only battle, recalled that Khem Val had indeed licked his blood from his weapon when Nox had fought for his life in the tombs of Korriban.

Nox laughed mirthlessly, then said, "You are right, Khem Val. You have already tasted my blood," His false smile degraded into a fierce sneer as he spoke with a warning in his tone, "but even so, I will be sure it is your last taste of anything if you betray me now."

The two stood, silently taking the measure of the other. Each trying to decide whether he should attack the other. Both regretted that their comradeship seemed to be at an end. Khem Val's face twitched. Nox knew that signaled Khem Val's irritation at the impasse that had seemed to develop.

Nox spoke into the tense silence, "I know who my enemies are, and I know who my friends are, my old friend. How can you doubt me?"

Khem Val's answer stung him, but Darth Nox had to concede the truth in his words.

"Because you are a Dark Lord of The Sith, my master. I know you have no friends. Your only companions are servants and enemies. I serve you willingly, faithfully, proudly. I watch for all of your enemies, yet I have never forgotten to watch my own back. You are my greatest danger, my master, even as you are my greatest benefactor."

Nox smiled warmly. The warmth of that smile had reached his eyes, which was very, very rare for him to do. He reserved that smile for his dead wife Ashara and for his children whenever he was with them. It was the first time he'd shared _that_ smile with Khem Val, and it gave him pause.

Nox said, "I need your strength, old friend. I find myself the target of a powerful rival, now become my greatest enemy. It is why I seek the strength of my former master. Trust me, Khem."

Khem Val, realizing that a battle had been avoided, changed the subject, "Then I do not need to warn you not to trust that fat snake with the dead eyes."

Nox laughed, saying, "Darth Komo? If he's wise, he will heed his own advice. I don't fear Komo, but I am wary of Acina. Be alert for her servants, Khem. They are likely on their way here, too."

Khem Val nodded his acknowledgment. Nox, sensed that a battle had been averted.

To end the confrontation, he said to Khem Val, "Go to the office and work on the security there. Then, in the morning, report to the office for your orders."

Khem Val replied, "I will go to increase the security at the office now, Master, but..." Khem leaned forward a little and pointed an impudent finger at Nox's chest, and said with a warning, "Know that I shall watch you closely. If you betray me, I shall sever my bonds to you and shall kill you, _my master_."

Khem Val didn't wait for Darth Nox's reply. He simply took the lift down and left Nox's apartment building.

Nox thought to himself. "_That was entirely too easy, Khem. I've got both of my eyes on you, my morose monster._"

2V-R8 returned to the foyer and announced, "Master, your dinner is ready. Shall I serve it in the dining room, or will you dine in the study?"

Nox replied tiredly, "I'll eat in the dining room."

Nox left the foyer and entered his dining room as 2V-R8 followed its master, prattling on, "An excellent choice, Master! I've heard it said that food tastes much better when eaten without distractions, such as studying..."

Nox paid no attention. He didn't hear a thing. He was lost in his own thoughts as he sat at the dining room table. He'd been considering that Khem Val's reluctance to attack him, upon discovering that he sought to free Zash, might have been a sign of his affection for Nox.

Almost amused by something that he'd never considered before, Nox thought, "_Khem is a real friend to me._"

Nox was about to put the first bite of food into his mouth, when 2V-R8 announced, "Master, Imperial soldiers have brought a prisoner, Millie Kine, here. Shall I let them enter?"

Nox's fury rose to a terrible crescendo as he put down the fork, the morsel of food uneaten at the end of the fork. The entire area became enveloped in his Dark Side energy. His withering wrath could be felt all the way down to the apartment building's door step outside.

The malign aura was unbearable. The troops, three flights below, backed well away from the turbolift doors, and Millie began to weep. 2V-R8 was oblivious to any of that. He was fortunate to be only a machine.

Nox rose to his feet as he left the dinner table, saying, "Send her in."

The droid replied, "Yes, Master."

Then it left Nox's side to open the door for Millie Kine.


	13. Final Instructions

Final Instructions

The following day, Nox had spent most of the morning in the conference room with General Yennis. Vulgren was there, too. However, he stayed out of Nox's way, performing his tasks and issuing instructions quietly to his staff as he listened in to Nox's and Yennis' conference. Nox had been consulting with the general about what to do next.

Nox spared a moment to regard Vulgren and asked himself in mild surprise, "_Why am I permitting him to remain?_"

General Yennis reported, "Our droids have detected nothing the entire night. It's as if the Republic and the rebellion leadership are all in a state of shock and are unable to formulate a response. I think it would be best to keep the droids deployed until my units arrive, Dark Lord. The droids will already be in place, in case the rebels finally decide to counter.

"Dark Lord, for your information, my division has already been on the march. They became ready, and hit the road well ahead of schedule. Based on their progress, I believe they will arrive in the early morning the day after tomorrow, instead of the late morning."

Nox was pleased by this bit of news, but cautioned the Chiss general, "Very good. However, be certain your forces are especially alert for ambush while on the march. If the rebels have been readying themselves for sabotage operations throughout the other sectors, as Major Nordath's report suggested, then they may have forces in the other sectors that can be diverted to ambush your division while on the road."

Yennis had already done this, and replied, "Be assured, Dark Lord, that I have seen to this."

Nox gave his approval, "Good," then added, "As soon as they arrive, deploy them immediately to deal with the rebels at the settlement. We must crush them utterly and quickly before they can spread their poisonously filthy rebellion to the other settlements."

Yennis replied neutrally, "Yes, Dark Lord."

The general, withheld his council. He understood that it was not his place to discuss policy. It was not his place to tell Darth Nox what he thought about the dark lord's solution for dealing with the rebels.

Yennis kept his thoughts to himself, "_Slaughtering the citizenry as well as the combatants will not win them over after the fighting is done, Dark Lord._"

It wasn't until mid morning that Darth Nox had finally entered the office to meet with his staff.

He said as he entered, "Good. You're all here. I was tied up in discussions with the General regarding the rebellion here."

Nox noted that Shahn Lunn was properly attired, although the fit of her garb was a bit too loose. She chafed against her ill fitting garb. He was pleased to see that she did not simply get the _latest Sith fashion_, but got functional armor. However, the black on mostly white color scheme did not suite his tastes. It reminded him too much of the bitter cold world of Hoth. However, Nox decided to say something positive about it.

"Now you look _Sith_. Take pride in your status and flaunt it." Nox nodded approvingly as he took note of her sabrestaff, but then he wondered, _"Can she really handle a sabrestaff?"_

Shahn seemed uncomfortable about the praise. She said, "I had to borrow this. My outfit has yet to arrive from Dromund Kaas."

Nox replied noncommittally, "Oh..." Then after a brief moment to think, he asked, "Have you spoken to Vulgren, or Darth Komo about where they get their attire and armor? Perhaps they have a synthweaver here on Taris that they rely on."

Nox watched Shahn's face redden and felt her embarrassment through The Force. It became apparent to Nox, that she had not thought of this. Nox put Shahn's clothing issues out of his mind and got the meeting in order.

"Let's get to business," he said as he took a seat at Xalek's desk. Nox decided the first order of business, saying, "Let's start with a complete briefing on what's been learned about the security breech and what's been done to fix it."

Khem Val spoke without Nox's invitation and without preamble, "I searched, but I found no spy tech. The office is clean." Khem pointed to the office window, which stretched from wall to wall and floor to ceiling, and said, "I installed micro/macro oscillating vibrators to prevent our voices from being heard from the outside. I checked and found that sound does not leak out through the doors and walls. I checked the computer, and holo-terminal and found they are secure and use proper encryption protocols. From outside, it is possible to see into all of the offices. I told the security manager to change this, and to add micro/macro oscillating vibrators to all of the windows. He will do this."

Khem Val's sudden quiet plunged the office into a silence that stretched for some seconds and that started to become awkward. Nox realized Khem's very brief report was done.

He broke the inordinate silence, saying a bit awkwardly, "Well..., good, Khem. Now we can talk." Turning to face Xalek, Nox instructed his apprentice, "Darth Xalek, please brief everyone on what's been learned."

Xalek, also wasting no time with introductions, went right to the point.

"We have located the area where the relic was last seen by our master. It is outside Olaris Spaceport, which was destroyed at the hands of our dark lord in the final days before the Republic abandoned Taris. There is an area near the spaceport with several warehouses."

Turning to look at Darth Nox and Khem Val in turn, Darth Xalek continued, saying, "My master, and Khem Val, if you go personally to the location, then perhaps you'll recognize which building it was. Otherwise we'll need to search each warehouse on that street, but we think we know which building it is based on what you've told us in the past."

Then returning his attention to the rest of the group, he concluded, "Orbital observation shows the area is in considerable ruin and over run with Rakghouls. We will all need to ensure inoculation against the Rakghoul Virus before going. That is all."

Captain Drellik spoke without being bidden to. This annoyed Xalek, greatly, but he remained silent about Captain Drellik's lack of decorum.

Talos Drellik cautioned, "My lord, allow me to add that we have not yet verified if the item in question is still there or if it is still intact."

Xalek's annoyance stemmed from his belief that Talos Drellik should have waited for Darth Nox to call on him to speak. However, Xalek recognized that Nox seemed to prefer that Talos have free rein, thus permitting Talos to speak freely without reservations.

Xalek reflected, "_If you were Sith, Talos, I would have ended you long ago._"

Nox answered Captain Talos Drellik's concerns, replying, "It's a Rakata artifact. Those are remarkably durable, but I'll concede the possibility that it may no longer be on world. You'll remain here to continue searching along those lines until we've verified, one way or the other, whether the artifact is there."

Talos replied simply, "Yes, Lord."

Turning to Shahn, Nox asked, "What assets can you provide for this mission?"

Shahn Lunn spoke, "Dark Lord, of course, I shall go. I will take with me a small team of five archaeologists, and bring five excavation droids." Talos nodded approval of her plan.

However, Xalek eying her, thought to himself, "_She seeks to enter into my lord's inner circle. I'll be sure to end her life when we are finished there._"

Shahn continued her report, "I also have two heavy lift droids that I can spare from my other dig site for this mission. If the buildings are as deteriorated as Darth Xalek suggests, then they will be necessary for lifting out large sections of broken structure." She then made a request from Nox, "Dark Lord, I'll need military transportation to move the assets in question, and I request a detachment of troops for security, not only against Rakghouls, but against pirates. Pirates are just as much a problem as Rakghouls are."

Nox reflected, remembering his time on that inhospitably frozen world, and said, "Hoth, all over again, but without the all the ice, cold, and frozen equipment."

He waited for Shahn to say more, but she remained silent.

Nox, satisfied with his servants' reports, and deciding he had enough information to proceed, decreed, "Very well, I will now give your assignments. Darth Xalek, you shall accompany me to the dig sight along with Shahn Lunn. Captain Drellik, you'll stay for your search, and Khem Val, you'll go to Imperial Settlement Number One."

Khem Val's body twitched on hearing his orders, but he remained silent as Nox continued issuing his orders.

"You will provide Darth Komo with personal security. I suspect that in a short time, assassins will come for his life. Stay there to maintain security wherever he goes."

Khem Val thought angrily to himself, "_Does he not trust me and wishes to send me away?! What of his own security? Does he think I am not needed?!_"

Nox cautioned everyone, "Darth Acina is my enemy, now. I have begun to move against her, even as she's already struck against me. Be wary of Acina's servants. Darth Komo serves _me_ now. Taris is _my_ world now." Looking at each of his servants, Nox asked, "Are there any questions about your assignments or anything I've said?"

They all remained silent. They were all in shock, with the exception of Khem Val. He was in Vulgren's office when the bargain was struck.

Nox added, reminding his servants, "I caution all of you to remain on your highest alert. We still have that Jedi Master to worry about, she and however many of her Jedi subordinates she's brought with her. She is strong in The Force. Khem, Talos, be on your best alert footing."

Captain Drellik replied, "Of course, my lord. If any of their ilk shall cross my path, he shall learn that not all academicians are toothless."

Khem Val, resigned to his orders, answered, "I hope to get something to eat. Let them come to me."

Nox reminded Khem, "Recall that Darth Komo was on the Commandos' assassinate target list."

Khem nodded and said, "I have not forgotten, my master."

Nox stood and said, "Very well. Everyone, prepare to move out. We will leave late this afternoon or early this evening. Darth Xalek, arrange for everyone to get a Rakghoul vaccine shot at the shuttle pad, including the soldiers I shall requisition. Shahn Lunn, contact your people and tell them to ready themselves to be picked up by military shuttle craft. In the mean time, I shall go to General Yennis and procure the required assets from him."

He looked at each of his staff briefly. None of them seemed to have anything to say.

Nox ordered, "Get moving."

His servants replied as he walked to the office door, "Yes, Dark Lord," or "Yes, Master."

But Nox had already walked out of the office, on his way to speak to the general.


	14. The Jedi, The Relic, and The Lie

The Jedi, The Relic, and The Lie

The four troop transport craft lifted off late that afternoon, leaving Nox and his archaeological expeditionary force in a particularly wrecked part of Taris several thousand kilometers from the reclaimed areas. Aside from Xalek, Shahn, and her archaeological team, Nox arrived with one hundred and six Imperial troops. They were divided into five understrength platoons called sections.

The men were divided into twenty one man sections, twenty soldiers for each section led by a sergeant. The five sections were all led by a senior sergeant. There were no officers with them. These soldiers were from the now defunct 256th Infantry Brigade. Nox was also given twenty heavy cannon war droids and two heavy guided missile droids to reinforce his troops.

Nox felt nostalgia overcome him, as his eyes swept across the ruined structures of Taris' ancient city-world. It was amongst these ruins, that he'd met and subdued his first apprentice, Ashara Zavros, a brash and headstrong Jedi. Nox felt a moment of remorse and self condemnation for his crime against his late wife, but the moment passed when he remembered that he was within striking distance of the relic.

Captain Drellik's caution echoed in Nox's mind, "_Recall, my lord, the artifact may no longer be on world._"

Nox answered the echo a little exasperatedly, thinking, "_Alright already, Talos! I know it might not be here at all. It's why I told you to keep searching the damned manifests..._"

Nox snapped his mind clear and got to the business at hand, issuing his first orders to his apprentice, who'd just come to a stop beside him.

"Darth Xalek, find Shahn. Take her with you and find someplace to make our base of operations."

Xalek replied, "Yes, lord."

Xalek departed, walking in the direction Shahn Lunn's archaeological team had been dropped off. Meanwhile, Nox turned to face the soldiers, all in precise ranks and files and formed into their five sections.

The sections were aligned in a row with a small space between each section. A section leader stood before each section. Nox deigned to speak to them, and began walking towards their ranks.

A sergeant, standing in front of the formation was receiving the role call reports from his subordinate sergeants. One of his men signaled to him. The sergeant looked over his shoulder and saw Nox walking towards him.

Facing his troops, he called out, "Company! Attention!" Then he did an about face, and called out, "Company! Present - Arms!"

The sergeant, and his company of soldiers rendered Nox a salute.

Just as Nox had come to a stop, standing before him, the sergeant called out, "Order - Arms!"

The company of soldiers, and the senior sergeant, ended their salute.

Nox told the sergeant, "I will speak to your men."

The sergeant stomped his boot, turned smartly to his right, and marched to the right end of the company formation. As the sergeant marched off to his left, Nox looked carefully at the faces of the men and women arrayed before him. The precise ranks of each of the five sections were arrayed, from his left to right, tallest to shortest.

Their dark grey uniforms were immaculate. Their dark grey helmets, with their snugly cinched chinstraps almost robbed the men and women of their individuality. They almost looked alike. Their blaster rifles, and their boots all shined. Their faces were all impassive stone masks.

And while the Imperial soldiers appeared immaculate, calm, and resolute, The Force revealed their disordered and jumbled fears and doubts, which seemed to Nox like a pot of water in a roiling boil.

Nox thought of the troops, "_They're a mess._"

He raised his voice and began, "You have felt bitter humiliation when you discovered the rank negligence of your superior officers. They have all been arrested and are undergoing questioning. Some will be returned to duty, while others will face incarceration. Those few most culpable for your brigade's failures will face execution."

He swept his eyes across their ranks, and observed that while their faces remained unchanged stone-carved masks, their abject shame had mixed into the cauldron of roiling fear and doubt.

Nox continued his speech, "You soldiers followed your orders faithfully, and you trusted your officers to do their duty. It is _you_ who have been betrayed by their incompetence. It is _you_ who were made to look the fools! But here, you will have a chance to prove yourselves. Here, you will have a chance to show _me_, Darth Nox, a Dark Lord seated on the Dark Council, that you are worthy to be called Imperial Soldiers!"

Nox felt a surge of hope and deep encouragement well up from the troops. Their fears and doubts evaporated, and was instantly replaced with a rabid determination that was almost fanatical, and although their faces remained impassive masks of stone, their eyes had changed, gaining a keen sharpness to them. Through The Force, he felt their thirst to prove themselves flash brilliantly. Their roiling doubts, fears, and shame seemed to flash into a roaring fire of fierce determination, as he spoke.

"This is your chance to show _me_ that you are not the failures your former leaders were!"

Nox couldn't know if his words would inspire them to perform well, but he could feel that their morale had improved considerably, as he concluded his speech.

"Show me what you're made of! Show _me_ what you've got! Prove to the Sith Empire that you are Imperial Soldiers worthy of the name! That is all."

The senior sergeant, standing at attention at the right end of the formation, shouted, "RUUUUUUUH!"

He was immediately answered by his men, "HUUAAAAAH!"

Nox thought, "_That must be their battle shout._" Then, even as he doubted it, he thought, "_I hope it means their improved spirits will lead to improved performances as well._"

He waited for them to start marching off, but instead they remained in formation while the senior sergeant marched directly to him.

The sergeant snapped to attention before Nox. Stomping his boot, he saluted smartly and reported, "Senior Sergeant Mordant Hurst, reporting, Dark Lord. What are your orders, sir?"

Nox thought a moment, then said, "Find Darth Xalek and determine where he has decided to locate our base of operations. Then set up defenses and security patrols. The enemy here are Rakghouls and pirates, and probably a couple of Jedi. Be on your highest alert footing."

Nox could feel the sergeant's slight disappointment at his mundane orders, but the sergeant acknowledged crisply, "Yes, sir!" Then he said, "Dark Lord, we can deal with Rakghouls and pirates quite handily, but we may run into problems with the Jedi."

Nox ordered, "Report any Jedi sighted to either Darth Xalek, Shahn Lunn, or to me."

Senior Sergeant Hurst stomped his boot and again acknowledged, "Yes, sir!"

He saluted Nox, and waited for Nox to walk away before turning about to face his men. Nox had walked to the nearest of the ruins and began to inspect them as the sergeant issued orders to his men.

Nox's mind flooded with the bittersweet nostalgic memories of he and Ashara slaying Republic Soldiers, here in this very area. He thought back on their sabotage of the Republic's efforts to resettle this planet, as they fought to capture Olaris Space Port.

Those days were rife with doubt and uncertainty about their union as master and apprentice. Even as they battled side by side against the Empire's foes, they fought a war of words and ideals against one another. He labored to teach her about the Sith Code and the philosophy behind each tenet of the code, and she endeavored to convert him into following the teachings of the Jedi Order.

Nox was brought sharply out of his reverie, when he noticed the fresh carcasses of Rakghouls inside some of the ruined structures. They had blaster bolt burns on their dead bodies.

He turned to face Mordant Hurst and raising his voice so that he could be heard, called out, "Senior Sergeant Hurst!" When he had the sergeant's attention, he asked, "When we arrived, did your men engage in killing any of the Rakghouls in the ruins?"

Senior Sergeant Mordant Hurst replied, "No, Dark Lord. Nor did the shuttle crews report any hostiles at the insertion point."

Nox, dreading the worst, again raised his voice, ordering, "Be on alert, Senior Sergeant Hurst. Someone's been here killing Rakghouls."

Mordant replied, "Yes, Sir!" He then turned about and recalled his subordinate sergeants, "Section leaders! To me!"

As Sergeant Hurst alerted his subordinate sergeants to the possibility of hostiles in the area, Nox called his apprentice over the audio communicator, "Darth Xalek, have you seen signs of pirate or Republic activity in the area?"

Xalek's voice came back over the communicator simply answering, "Many dead Rakghouls."

Nox looked up at the late afternoon sky and thought furiously to himself, _"What was I thinking?! As soon as I had learned the enemy had spies in our midst, I should have moved out!"_

He looked down at his feet and shook his head in disgust and self reproach. Returning his gaze to the carcasses of the Rakghoul within the ruined structure, he noticed one of them had the unmistakable burns of a lightsaber strike across its chest. He spoke again into his audio communicator.

"Darth Xalek, Shahn. Return to me, I think the situation has changed." He then called to Mordant, "Sergeant Hurst! Come to me!"

Mordant replied, "Yes, Dark Lord!" He ran to Nox, stopped in front of him, and snapping to attention, asked crisply, "What are your orders, Dark Lord?"

Nox got to the point, "I think there is a strong enemy operating near hear. Prepare your men for combat patrols. I want you to send your sections out to find them, learn who they are, and report their location to everyone else. I think it will probably be Republic Commandos. Be especially alert. If the commandos are here, so are the Jedi. I give you command of the war droids. Deploy them as you see fit."

Mordant Hurst said with feeling, "We'll show you what we can do, Dark Lord!"

Mordant stomped his boot, turned about and ran back to his waiting subordinate sergeants and immediately began issuing new orders to them.

Xalek and Shahn came running. Nox watched Shahn's tiny 145 centimeter frame running next to Xalek's imposing 194 centimeters, as they approached him. As he marveled at her small stature, he realized that Shahn had changed her attire.

He though, "_She probably changed her robes sometime before we left the settlement._"

He hadn't seen her before then, because she had boarded a different shuttle with her archaeological team.

"_That's a splendid suit of armor, and it fits her perfectly,_" Nox thought.

She wore a solid black hooded robe of a heavy material, open at the front, revealing her armor underneath. Underneath the robe, her flexible armor was black with bright red markings, and Nox could see that she preferred armored leggings over armored kilts, such as he wore. He nodded his approval of her tastes in Sith fashion, and armor.

He said to the two as they came to a stop before him, "The Rakghoul eradication in this area is too thorough, too precise to have been carried out by ordinary pirates. I found no other bodies except those of the Rakghoul. How about you two?"

As he made no mention of the evidence of a Jedi's presence to the senior sergeant, he had also decided not tell Darth Xalek and Shahn Lunn of the Rakghoul with the lightsaber burns on its chest.

Xalek shook his head in the negative, in answer to Nox's inquiry.

Shahn answered, "I saw only the Rakghoul, Dark Lord."

Nox briefly turned his attention to the five sections of troops, from the 256th Infantry Brigade, as they double-timed off in different directions in search of the enemy. Each section had been reinforced with some of the war droids.

Nox returned his attention to quickly finding the warehouse wherein his mind trap had last been seen. He set a portable holo-projector down onto the rusted out metal plate on which he stood, the remains of an ancient road, and activated it.

A real time three dimensional map appeared above it, with symbols showing his location and that of all of his forces moving out in the area. He found the main thoroughfare leading to Olaris Spaceport's main entrance. It was two streets over.

He said to Xalek and Shahn, "Let's go. We'll search the ruins until our forces contact the enemy."

A few moments later, the three had reached the thoroughfare. And as soon as they did, a huge eruption of blaster fire sounds emanated from the direction of the spaceport. Nox wasn't certain, but looking in that direction, he could barely recall whether the spaceport was just under a kilometer from where he and his servants now walked.

He thought, "_If I have to run there, it shouldn't take me too long._"

Soon after, the audio communicator sounded with Senior Sergeant Hurst's voice, "Contact made at Olaris Spaceport! Republic Commandos in force! All units converge here!"

Nox told Xalek and Shahn, "We will search the warehouses, starting with that one."

He pointed, indicating which dilapidated structure he had in mind.

Nox took his first steps towards the dilapidated husk, as the audio communicator came on again with Mordant's voice, "There is a Jedi, here!"

Nox shouted, "To the spaceport!"

Nox took a few steps running towards the spaceport, when he caught sight of a blue flash of light in the corner of his left eye. He drew his sabrestaff, activating it as he turned towards the blue light. He was already swinging diagonally downwards when he caught full sight of the lightsaber twirling towards him.

Nox struck it down to the ground. The lightsaber deactivated upon impact with the rusted metal plated roadway. Using The Force, Nox immediately reached for it and pulled it into his free hand. When the saber hilt reached his hand, he immediately crushed and destroyed it, again using The Force. Nox threw the wreckage of it to the ground.

When he returned his gaze to his assailant, he saw a second Jedi emerging from the ruins of the warehouse, which Nox had pointed out earlier. The Jedi came to a stop, standing alongside the one who'd thrown his saber at him. Nox could feel it. They were strong in The Force.

Xalek shouted to Nox, "Master! Go on! We'll take on these two! We will not shame you!"

Nox, knew that Xalek had to have felt how strong those two were, but he decided to trust Xalek's judgment on the matter. He turned and ran to the spaceport. The two Jedi attempted to intercept him, but Xalek and Shahn had both leapt to the attack against the pair. The Jedi were forced to defend themselves. Nox left his servants behind and ran for all he was worth, using The Force to speed him, to the spaceport.

Just as Nox reached the spaceport and turned towards the sounds of battle, Senior Sergeant Hurst called out over the audio communicator, "There are three Republic shuttles here. They're trying to load one of them with a crate."

Nox ordered, "Destroy the shuttles! Damage the shuttles, whatever it takes so that they cannot fly!"

Nox had entered the spaceport from a different entrance than did his troops. As a result, he ran into a team of six Republic Commandos and immediately began cutting them down. After a few seconds, during which his sabrestaff twirled, spun, buzzed and chopped, Nox had cut the last one down. He wasted no time, and was already on his way, even before the last commando collapsed to the floor already dead.

As he ran down the concourse, towards the sounds of battle, he saw the tips of the vertically folded wings of one of the shuttles at the far end of it. His mind was filled with memories of fighting his final battle on Taris alongside Ashara, as they slew a Jedi Master together, right in this very spaceport.

He remembered goading Ashara towards anger, "Do not grieve! Instead, become angry! Fuel your anger for what you've done! You've killed one of your old Masters! You traitorous murderer!"

Ashara had succumbed to the crushing guilt of what she'd done, weeping for her crime, and taking a step closer to the Dark Side of The Force, but that's where she stopped. It infuriated Nox, because Thana Vesh, who'd also fought alongside them, had mocked them both.

She taunted Nox, telling him, "You're both so emotionally mushy! How do you expect to be taken seriously, or to defeat your enemies if you're so soft!" Then she laughed, as she added, "You don't have a Jedi turned Sith apprentice. You have a crybaby that you have to look after!" She laughed again in Nox's face.

He wondered why he hadn't killed Thana Vesh right then, but Nox had to work to clear his mind of the flood of nostalgia inundating his thoughts. He knew, that with _this_ Jedi, if he did not mind his thoughts, it could be used against him again, as had occurred in the forests in their earlier encounter.

As Nox neared the end of the concourse, he thought savagely, "_How much fun will the Jedi give me before I'll have to kill her?_"

Nox leapt over the railing at the end of the concourse, and down thirty meters onto the landing pad. He quickly scanned the scene, looking around until he found the crate and the shuttle being loaded with it. Nox leapt to the area behind that shuttle.

He used The Force to push the crate well away from the shuttle. It was still sliding across the launch pad when he began to kill the shuttle crew around him. Assured that his crate was safely away from any of the shuttles, and with at least one shuttle crew dead, he turned to face the other end of the launch pad, towards the sounds of combat.

The Jedi Master, using The Force to shroud herself from perception, watched as Darth Nox, turned to face the sounds of battle. She watched as he used Force Lighting against two commandos armed with portable blaster cannons, taking them both down.

She thought, with some fear, "_A Force Lightning attack nearly two hundred meters from where he's standing?! He is much stronger than I gave him credit for!_" She wondered, "_Then was he holding back when we fought the last time in the forest?_"

Realizing that Nox's attack would greatly ease the approach of the Imperial Soldiers to the launch pad proper, she thought to herself, "_Damn! I better do something or they're gonna destroy our rides back home!_"

She approached Nox's unguarded back, as he casually strode towards the commandos that were still out of his view around a corner, at the far end of the launch pad, over two hundred meters away.

* * *

Xalek threw his sabrestaff forward, using The Force to cause it to spin horizontally like a giant circular saw. His attack spoiled his enemy's next series of attacks before she could begin. She was forced to leap backwards instead.

Xalek immediately shot his offhand forward and blasted her with a bolt of Force Lighting, instantly stunning her. As his sabrestaff returned to him, he stopped it's spin right before he caught it again in his main hand. Xalek then rushed forward again, thrusting his sabrestaff at the Jedi, to impale her through her armored chest.

Instead, he ended up rolling to one side to avoid a piece of debris that was hurled at him by the other Jedi, Shahn's opponent. Xalek got out of the roll and, standing again, swung down with his sabrestaff. His opponent, having recovered from the electric shock, blocked with both of her lightsabers crossed together, stopping Xalek's vicious attack. She then executed a vicious forward kick, amplified with The Force, knocking Xalek back.

The Jedi tossed one of her activated sabers to her partner, who'd become unarmed after Nox had destroyed his lightsaber. Xalek, had guarded against her Force powered kick, but he still had to shake his head to clear the daze from his eyes, after he'd gotten back onto his feet.

He shouted in disgust at Shahn, "What!? Are you sleeping, _midget?!_"

He looked over to where she was and saw her tumbling and spinning helplessly in midair in front of her opponent. Xalek immediately Force Pushed her and sent her flying, knocking her out of her opponent's grasp before he could use his partner's lightsaber against her.

Xalek's opponent attacked. He had to jump sideways, away from Shahn, to escape the attack.

He thought angrily to himself, _"Curse Shahn! She's as weak as she is short!"_ Xalek shouted at her, "If you are a servant of Darth Nox, then do not bring him shame! FIGHT!"

Shahn felt great humiliation at the rebuke, and her fury rose. She cursed herself for letting herself think that her unarmed opponent was helpless. She had entered into a false sense of assurance, believing that she had an absolute advantage over her unarmed enemy. In fact she did, but had squandered it when she attacked with her own sabrestaff.

Shahn furiously criticized herself, thinking, _"__I should have attacked with Force Lighting!_" Now that her opponent was armed again, her advantage was lost. She cursed her own stupidity again, _"__Blast!_" Then she shouted, angrily, _"_I am not a midget! I am petite!"

The Jedi attacked. He leapt through the air swinging down with his borrowed lightsaber. Shahn blocked his attack with her sabrestaff. She thought to counter strike with the other end of her staff, but his attack was so powerful that it sent her light frame falling backwards. Shahn Lunn attempted to get back up, but he rushed her and struck down repeatedly, as she lay on her back, scooting away from him, and repeatedly blocking his powerful strikes.

She thought to herself, _"He's using the Juyo combat form!"_

Shahn used The Force to push him back and to launch herself away from him, thus gaining distance from him. She converted her mid air uncontrolled tumbling into backwards mid-air flips, then landed on her feet.

Her opponent had already recovered and was already coming after her. She blasted him with a very powerful storm of lightning, knocking him off of his feet and leaving him writhing on the ground. Then she used all of her concentration as she drained his life-force from him. It quickly weakened him as it regenerated her own injuries.

* * *

Instinct, more than anything else, made Nox jump onto one of the shuttles. He narrowly missed getting skewered in the back with a bright red sabrestaff. The Jedi used the crate, Nox had pushed aside earlier, as a projectile against him.

Nox, alarmed that the Rakata mind trap inside could be damaged or even destroyed, did not dodge it. Instead, he used The Force to capture it, and was subsequently knocked off the shuttle. Despite using The Force to control his fall, Nox landed on his feet - _hard_, but the crate hit the launch pad relatively gently. Nox's Force Push sent the crate sliding to the far edge of the launch pad, away from the Jedi. Then he turned around just in time to block a furious sabrestaff assault by the Jedi Master.

Nox quickly turned the tables on the Jedi, turning his blocks into attacks. Each time he blocked an attack with one end of his sabrestaff, he countered with the other end of his staff.

The armored-masked Jedi Master, unable to keep up with Nox's furious sabrestaff counter strikes, jumped back. Then, thinking she'd distract Nox again, tried Force Lifting the crate to send it flying again. It was a good idea, but it was poorly executed. Even though she had jumped back to gain distance from him, she was still too close to Nox.

Nox sped forward, using The Force, and lunged for her outstretched arm. Grabbing the Jedi's elbow, he used The Force again, crushing it in his hand. She screamed in shear agony, as she hopped up and kicked Nox in his chest with both feet, while Force Leaping backwards, sending both Nox and her flying backwards away from each other. Thus, she had escaped Nox's follow up sabrestaff strike.

Nox slammed the spaceport deck on his back and skidded a ways before he jumped back up onto his feet again. Although he'd used The Force to guard against her attack, his chest hurt mightily from her Force powered kick, and his back was also in bad shape from slamming onto the deck, but he used The Force to block out the worst of the pain, and then used the remaining pain to infuriate himself. His rage fueled his Dark Side power.

With only one arm working, the masked Jedi Master could not use her sabrestaff. She deactivated one end of her staff making it into a single bladed lightsaber with a very long hilt. Nox, fueled by his rage, and his Dark Side power continuing to grow, struck the wounded Jedi Master with a storm of Force Lighting just as the Shuttle next to him reverberated, shook, and skidded sideways towards him. From that Force Lightning attack, the Jedi knew immediately that Nox was deliberately holding back.

A heavy war droid had launched a missile barrage that had struck the ship on the opposite side of where he stood. The missile barrage caused the heavy shuttle to skid sideways, towards Nox, more than just a few centimeters. It was a testament to the power of the missile blasts on the opposite side of the shuttle from where Nox stood, which also caused it to rain smoking shuttle debris all around him.

Despite Nox's storm of Force Lighting, the Jedi Master had managed to send some of the debris, raining down onto the launch pad, hurtling at Nox. Nox was forced to stop his lighting attack to dodge the flying wreckage.

Then, without warning, the Jedi was struck by a terrible onslaught of blaster fire as a second shuttle exploded. Nox rolled under the third shuttle to escape the falling debris, but he knew it was next to be destroyed. It was the same shuttle onto which the crate was to be loaded.

Nox dashed to where he'd pushed the crate, avoiding the superheated gases and the burning liquids that poured from the third shuttle's systems when it exploded from another missile barrage. He reached the crate in an instant. A quick inspection told him that the crate seemed unharmed.

Satisfied that the crate seemed undamaged, Nox rushed to where he'd last seen the Jedi fall under the storm of blaster bolts. The sounds of battle had diminished somewhat, as his troops pushed the surviving retreating commandos to another part of the spaceport.

The Jedi lay still. Nox, however, not trusting in convenient deaths, inspected her body. He prodded it with his activated sabrestaff, and it became a piece of shuttle debris, which had partially melted from the high energy blaster rifle bolts and Force Lightning current.

Nox became disgusted at himself as he thought, "_How does she bypass my defense and manipulate what I see?!_"

Nox ran back to the crate and knelt before it as he opened it. He found it had been empty. He cleared his mind to make sure it was actually empty, and not just another illusion.

Nox, becoming frustrated, asked himself, "_Was it already loaded onto one of the shuttles? Why was an empty crate being loaded onto a shuttle?!_" After a small pause, he asked himself, "_Or was an empty crate getting unloaded?_"

Standing again, Nox got out his personal holo-transmitter and dialed up Talos Drellik. As he thought back to the partially melted shuttle debris, he realized he'd been shooting Force Lightning at a piece of junk.

It gave him cause him think, "_Did I actually crush her arm, or was that just another illusion?_"

Talos answered, saying, "My lord, how may I be of ser... _You're bleeding!_"

Nox quickly explained, and then ordered, "We're fighting commandos and Jedi here! Waste no time! Get immediate access to orbital observation and look for ground convoys leaving my vicinity. Look anywhere within five hundred kilometers. Report anything you find as soon as you find anything. You have my authority to commandeer any assets you need to get it done. That is all."

Nox cut the transmission and thought to himself, "_Maybe they haven't put it in a crate yet. Maybe they have it with them._"

Just as he thought to go join his soldiers in the fight, his instincts, again, filled him with an overwhelming need to take action. Nox spun quickly, facing away from the crate, and Force Pushed with everything he had. This time he'd decided not to hold back anymore.

The Jedi appeared in front of him, tumbling in the air away from him. She slammed onto the launch pad on her back, then skidded and tumbled across the debris littered launch pad.

Nox thought to himself, "_This Jedi is too strong for me to keep holding back. I had better end this, now. I am waisting too much time on her_."

He walked briskly to where she lay, his deep red sabrestaff reactivated. She was hurt terribly, but she wouldn't die anytime soon.

Nox thought admiringly to himself of her, "_She is strong!_" And he told her so. "You are _strong!_ I would have enjoyed having you as an apprentice, but I know how stubborn you Jedi can be..."

Nox thought of Ashara again as he remembered her strength and her stubbornness, but he immediately pushed her memory from his mind, and lifted his sabrestaff vertically, as he prepared to skewer the Jedi with his weapon.

Unexpectedly, she asked him, "Would you?"

After a coughing spell, she asked again, "Would you take me on as an apprentice?"

Nox was deeply surprised by this. He expected her to say, what the Jedi usually said just before he'd kill them.

"_There is no death, only The Force._"

Staying his hand to answer her, he told her, "I'd only teach you about the power of the Dark Side of The Force. It's nothing you'd be interested in."

The Jedi pleaded, "Teach me, _Master_." Then she added as though it hurt to say it, "Teach me... _the Dark Side_." She coughed again.

Nox, still in shocked surprise by the randomness of the moment, acted impulsively and took an extraordinary gamble.

He told her, "Convince me. Give me what I seek. Kill the rebellion leadership. Then report to me at Imperial Settlement Number Three with everything my people will need to arrest or kill all of the rebel militia members."

Nox waited to see what the Jedi would say to that. He figured what he'd asked was too high a price, and that she would not be willing to pay it. He fully expected her to reconsider. But to his amazement, she actually told him what he wanted.

The Jedi told Nox, "What you're looking for hasn't been moved, yet. The Rakata device is still in the warehouse. We'd only managed to kill all of the Rakghouls in the area and chased off the pirates, before you showed up..." She coughed a bit, then added, "_Master, m_y subordinate Jedi found the device and were guarding it. They are fighting with your servants, now."

Nox remained silent, ready to impale her with his weapon. He was trying to decide if he should risk believing her. He could not sense her emotions.

"_She masks her feelings too well,_" he thought.

Lying on her back and looking up at Nox with his weapon poised to strike, she could see the doubt in his eyes.

The Jedi Master promised him, "Once I've caught my breath, I'll do the rest, Master."

Nox, felt great trepidation at what he had decided to do. He enjoyed a renewed rush of adrenaline course through his entire being, as he deactivated his sabrestaff. He waited, fully expecting her to attack. After a moment, when he realized she was not going to fight, he secured his weapon onto his utility belt.

Nox ordered, "Remove your mask so that I may see your face, Jedi. If you betray me, I want to remember your face so that I can hunt you down."

The Jedi obeyed and removed her armored mask with her left hand. She was human, Nox saw. Her face was covered in sweat, and though he couldn't feel it, the fear smeared across her face was quite real.

Nox thought, "_I've never seen her before._" He studied her intently before finally telling her, "We'll see. We will see where The Force shall guide us from here, Jedi." Then he demanded, "What is your name, _Jedi?_"

She answered without delay, "My name is Juuldis Vannithana Resh."

He nodded, telling her, "I'll be waiting for you, _apprentice candidate Juuldis_."

Nox left her where she lay. He walked a ways away before looking over his shoulder. She remained laying on her back. Her face, looking up at the launch pad ceiling, glistened with sweat and tears, and was contorted by pain and sorrow. Her left hand favored her limp right arm. Nox could see her body heaving as she sobbed silently.

He thought, "_So, I did cripple her arm..._" Then, laughing inwardly at the Jedi, he asked himself, "_What is it about Taris that makes it simple to turn Jedi?_"

Nox felt a pang of regret, and guilt, when he thought of Ashara, reminding himself that he'd killed her. He used his regret and guilt to fuel his anger. This, in turn, fueled his Dark Side power, as he walked towards the battle, and his troops. Nox despised himself, for using his late wife's memory for such a dark purpose. He felt it was an insult to her memory, and those feelings too, fueled his power in the Dark Side.

Looking around the spaceport as he walked, Nox felt a bit of nostalgia, when he remembered that it was in this spaceport, after they'd parted ways with Thana Vesh, that he'd succeeded in forcing Ashara to acknowledge the validity of the Sith Code, though he'd again failed to convince her to embrace the power of the Dark Side of The Force.

At the time, Ashara had defiantly declared to Nox, "Just because I can see that there is validity in the Sith Code does not mean that I will abandon my Jedi teachings. They are just as valid."

Pushing those thoughts out of his mind, he got back to the business at hand and called Mordant on the short range audio communicator.

"Senior Sergeant Hurst, report."

Nox walked briskly, following the echoing booming sounds of the battle that had moved to another concourse in the spaceport.

Mordant's voice came back, reporting, "Dark Lord, original enemy strength was estimated at about sixty. Enemy strength is now estimated at about forty. Our losses are nineteen, with ten wounded and sent back to the insertion point, five confirmed dead, and four war droids damaged and rendered unusable. The enemy..."

Senior Sergeant Hurst cut out. Nox waited a few seconds, and just as he was about to call Hurst again, the Senior Sergeant came back on.

"I beg your pardon, Dark Lord. I had to issue orders to my men. The enemy is conducting a fighting withdrawal to the southeast, away from the spaceport. I have been attempting to surround the enemy, but they have evaded my attempts so far."

Realizing, from Mordant's report, that the battle had already moved out of the spaceport, Nox asked the senior sergeant, "Are they carrying anything with them. Are they moving anything large and bulky?"

Mordant immediately answered, "Negative, Dark Lord. They carry only their wounded, estimated at about ten."

Nox immediately ordered, using the Sergeant's terminology, "Break contact and return to the _insertion point_." Nox added, "They don't have what I seek. Recover our dead, our weapons, our equipment and droids, and any intel on the enemy that you can, before returning."

Senior Sergeant Hurst acknowledged, "Yes sir, my dark lord!"

Nox cut the connection and used The Force to dash back to where he'd left Xalek and Shahn.

* * *

Xalek, wounded and bleeding, parried an attack by his opponent, also wounded and bleeding. He immediately countered, striking the Jedi twice in very quick succession, once with each end of his sabrestaff. He immediately followed that up with a blast of lighting from his offhand. The Jedi failed to deflect it. Xalek's opponent stood, shaking and trembling from the electric shock and in searing pain from the lightsaber burns.

Darth Xalek thrust his sabrestaff, piercing his foe's heart through her heavy armor, thus ending her life. But he failed to perceive the rubble that was hurled at him. It struck him in the back and sent him flying into a section of broken wall. He tried to get back up, but his body would not obey him. Xalek had suffered massive internal injuries and several crushed ribs.

Shahn became furious after watching Xalek fall, and went berserk. Abandoning all defense, she went on a rabid attack against her opponent, striking repeatedly and viciously with each end of her sabrestaff, almost faster than he could counter. Then, forcing an opening in her opponent's defenses, she Force Pushed her Jedi opponent high up into the air, and then used The Force to pull him back down again, accelerating him onto the surface of the rusted out roadway.

His body smacked the ancient, rusted out, dirt covered road, face down - _very hard_. He tried to rise, but she - again, used the Dark Force ritual from before, to pull his life force from his body. He couldn't even get to his knees. Instead he collapsed, bloodied face down, onto the ancient rusted road, and becoming weaker by the moment. He finally fell unconscious, and shortly thereafter, he died.

Shahn let her arms drop to her sides. Deactivating her sabrestaff and securing it to her utility belt, she turned to where she'd last seen Xalek fall. There, she saw Darth Nox conducting a Dark Force healing ritual.

She limped towards them, dragging her right foot, because her knee was badly hurt. She watched as Nox ended his ritual. A sinking feeling began to envelop her, as she began to dread the dark lord's anger towards her for her failure. She came to a stop a few meters from where Nox knelt beside Xalek's broken body.

Xalek spoke weakly, just above a whisper, "It is enough, my lord. At least, I killed my foe and she did not kill me."

Nox said nothing.

Xalek's weak voice was failing him, but he nevertheless mustered the power to say passionately, "I go to my fathers. I go to become a god with my fathers!"

Xalek shifted his fading eyes to Nox and asked for Nox's assessment, "I hope my service to you was satisfactory." With apprehension, Xalek implored his master, _"My lord?_"

Nox, his voice choking, replied, "Your service - was exemplary. I will sorely miss your capabilities. You will be able to hold your head up when you go to your fathers and take your rightful place as a god among them."

Xalek closed his eyes and said with the last of his strength, "I will... tell them... your... name." His body went limp, and he breathed his last.

Nox closed his eyes and shook his head slowly.

After a moment, he stood, turned to face Shahn and said, "We'll search that structure." He pointed and added, "I think it's in there."

Shahn, fearful that Xalek's death would be held against her, begged forgiveness, "Forgive me, Dark Lord. I did not fight well enough to prevent this."

Nox said in a neutral tone, "You fought well enough. You killed the killer of my most able apprentice, and you've shown some skill with the use of the darker arts."

He turned and walked to the derelict warehouse. Shahn quickly fetched a kolto injector from her utility belt. She administered a dose to her right thigh. Then she limped after her lord to the broken structure.

Remarkably, it had suffered the least damage of all of the buildings in the area, which wasn't saying much. It was partially collapsed. Shahn, still fearing Nox's wrath would awaken at any moment, followed him with great trepidation to the ruined structure.

As they walked, Nox wondered to himself, _"Is the reason Xalek died because I took on a new apprentice? Ashara dies, and I seek to bring Zash back as my apprentice, but not before Ashara's death. I take on the Jedi as my new apprentice, and Xalek dies. Why is that?"_

Nox had entered the dark interior of the building. Without any memory of when he'd entered it, he found himself at the foot of the stairs in the back of the warehouse. The stairs were dimly lit with the waning afternoon light entering the warehouse through the door far behind him at the front of the building. He stopped and turned to look behind himself.

Shahn was standing a few paces back waiting for him to go up the dilapidated stairs. He sensed fear suddenly pour out from her small hooded frame. She stood, silhouetted against the afternoon light entering the warehouse' doorway far behind her. He chastised himself angrily for letting his guard down so completely.

Nox thought, _"It is dangerous to get so lost in meaningless thought with an unknown Sith behind me!"_

Nox turned and walked up the stairs and entered the room at the top of the stairs. There it was, illuminated on one side by a small battery powered table lamp that the Jedi had set up for it. Shahn had taken out a portable light, and shined it on the Rakata mind trap, to get a better look.

She had got close to it and, for a moment forgetting her fears, laughed delightedly saying, "My dark lord, Darth Nox, there is a malevolent presence within this device!"

Nox, feeling the repulsive aura pouring from the mind trap, said, "Zash is angry. Can you imagine her hatred and rage for me after I trapped her inside? Do you now understand what it is I wish to do with this malevolent presence?"

Shahn's mirth, and her smirking grin, dimly illuminated by the weak table lamp, quickly disintegrated into a fearful expression as she replied, shouting with sudden anguished fear, "You expect me to confront Darth Zash, and then to _let her take over my being!_"

Nox, forgetting himself, asked, "Will you do it, Shahn?"

Shahn, taking a couple of steps back, activated her sabrestaff, and bracing herself for battle, shouted at her lord, "No, Dark Lord! I will not!"

Nox smiled, realizing his error. He cursed his lapse in judgment, then began to cover up his mistake. He could see the fear on Shahn's face. Everything in the small room, the two stood in, was now bathed in the bright red light of her sabrestaff.

He told her, "You are strong enough in The Force. You can resist her attempts to commandeer your body. You'll have to live with her insensate prattling for a while, and she can be trying. Just ask Khem Val about that.

"As angry as she is, she has been greatly weakened. It should not be too daunting a task for you to keep her in check. And if you can preserve your sanity long enough, I'll take you to Voss for a healing ritual that will fuse Zash's consciousness with yours, making you whole again. You will have her knowledge and her power, but you may not be totally yourself afterwards."

The technicalities of what Nox had told her was true. It was, in essence, what he'd gone through. He had subdued four force ghosts, and bound them to his will, gaining their dark knowledge in the process. However, his mind had become fragmented. The minds of five individuals vied for control of his body.

His body was tearing itself apart as well. The power of The Force, from the four force ghosts, added to his own power, coursed through him like too much current in a circuit unable to handle it.

He'd gone to Belsavis to remake his body, so that it could tolerate all of that power. Then later, he'd gone to Voss, where he'd had his fragmented mind unified. However, Nox had no intention of doing any of that for Shahn.

Shahn, not knowing any of the technicalities, wasn't sure if she could believe him. Thus, she'd decided she needed to flee from his presence, and hide somewhere in the galaxy.

Hoping it would buy her enough time to plan her escape, she answered carefully, "I need time to think on this, Dark Lord."

Nox, sensing the lie in her feelings, sighed as his smile faded.

He explained to her, "I have the ghosts of four powerful Sith bound to me. If you're strong enough, you can bind Zash's ghost to you as well."

Again, he had told her a technical truth. However, he had absolutely no intention of teaching her the binding ritual he'd learned from the ghost of Ergast.

After a pause to let her think about it, he told her, "I picked up a new apprentice. It's the Jedi I fought at the spaceport. I intend to make the same offer to her. Don't take too long to decide."

Shahn deactivated her sabrestaff, plunging the room into a darkness barely mitigated by the table lamp. She bowed deeply, and then knelt onto one knee, saying, "I understand, my dark lord, Darth Nox."

Shahn had become hopeful when she saw an opportunity to escape Nox's designs without the need to flee and hide. She had decided, instead, to entrap Nox's new Jedi apprentice in his dark plot. Nox misinterpreted her feelings of hope as a sign that she had believed him.

He ordered her, "Get a packing crate and a droid to pack this thing up. We're taking it back with us."

Shahn, still kneeling, thanks to the kolto injection earlier, was greatly relieved that Nox had seemed to have looked passed her brief rebellion against him.

She bowed her head, and replied dutifully, "As you say, Dark Lord."

Nox turned to leave Shahn to her task. However, Shahn became suspicious and decided to test the truth of Nox's claims of acquiring a new apprentice.

She called to him, risking much by asking, "Dark Lord, how did you turn the Jedi?"

Nox, sensing her doubt, turned around to face her and answered, "I defeated her. Then, after complimenting her strength, I offered to make her my apprentice. She accepted. She may have already been skirting the edge of the Dark Side, and I just happened to nudge her across." After a very short pause to reflect, he added, "Or she could have been lying to me, to escape death."

He turned again and walked down the stairs.

Shahn resigned herself to accept Nox's word that he had picked up a new apprentice, _maybe_. She turned to her task and used her audio communicator to contact her archaeological team.

Shahn Lunn resolved to herself, as she stood again, "_I will most definitely research this artifact, but I'll have to, especially, look into the dark lord's claims of a ritual to subdue imprisoned Force Ghosts._"


	15. A Council Paralyzed

A Council Paralyzed

In Imperial Settlement Number Two, on an ordinary street, in an unassuming building, on the second floor, at the second door down the hall, the Taris Provisional Government held an emergency council meeting. The council had come to order some time ago. The meeting was already in progress.

First Minister Hadrek Parth was an alien of the Anomid species. His silver blue eyes seemed to pierce the Zabrak, another alien species, he addressed.

In reply to a comment the Zabrak had made, First Minister Parth said, "General Renningk, I know you are quite confident that we can still fight, but before we talk about an all out attack on Imperial Settlement Number Three, we need to know what happened out in the ruins late yesterday afternoon. Our remaining Commandos have been nearly decimated, and the device has, in fact, fallen into Sith hands. Worse of all, we've lost two of the three Jedi that came to help. The one remaining Jedi, Master Juuldis, is out of the fight for now. How long before she recovers? A week? A month?"

A human, Jeld Fann, an elected council member was worked up over the disaster, much more so than his fellow council members.

Speaking angrily and out of turn, he demanded, "What could have been so damned important about that dusty relic to have been worth the loss of so many of our remaining commandos, and TWO JEDI! Eh?!"

Another council member chimed in, pointing out, "And three shuttle craft."

As though being reminded, Jeld Fann repeated, "Yes! And three shuttle craft!" Councilor Fann smacked his opened hand on the table and added with a snarl, "Tell me that much, _First Minister!_"

First Minister Hadrek Parth worked to keep his temper in check as he replied, "I understand your anger, Councilor Fann, but do remember that we have a process for being heard. We must wait to be recognized before speaking." Before Jeld Fann could protest Hadrek Parth added, in answer to Jeld Fann's question, "Do recall, Councilor Fann, Jedi Master Juuldis had said that it was an ancient Rakata repository of knowledge that could give the Empire an even greater technological advantage over the Republic in the war. It had to be denied to the Empire and go to the Republic, instead."

Councilor Gradden Talsk, a male of the Bith species, knew that it would rile the first minister, but he too spoke out of turn just to yank on Hadrek Parth's chain.

He interjected, "Instead, it fell to the Sith Empire anyway, add to that the evisceration of our remaining Republic Commando forces and the loss of two Jedi, and fifty percent of our shuttle fleet. What are we suppose to do now for our coming battle here on Taris? Never mind the Republic's big war with the Empire, but our own _little war_ against the Empire will not go so well now. Do you think the Republic will send any more commandos or Jedi our way? I happen to think not."

General Vilk Renningk, a male of the Zabrak species, and Commanding General of The Free Tarisians' Army tried to bring calm to the excited and angry councilors. Unlike the two angry councilors who'd spoken before him, he followed protocol and asked to be recognized to speak.

"First Minister, I'd like the floor, for a moment."

Hadrek Parth, barely holding on to his own temper, spoke tersely, "The Council recognizes General Renningk."

Vilk Renningk spoke reasonably, saying, "Gentle beings, arguing a matter that is best left to after action analysis is meaningless here. We must concentrate our thoughts and efforts for what we will do next. The Imperial 256th Infantry Brigade is in disarray. We must not waste this opportunity.

"Also, I think the Republic can and will send reinforcements. Especially when they learn how seriously the Empire is taking things here. A _dark councilor_ is on _this world_ personally working to put down our rebellion. They'll start to understand that Taris really is important to the Sith Empire, and thus should be important to them as well."

The part about Taris becoming important to the Galactic Republic, in response to the Sith Empire's seeming interest, seemed to quiet the councilors a little, as they tried to digest what that actually meant.

General Renningk assured them, saying, "I'll speak to Jedi Master Juuldis and convince her to request more Jedi aid. I don't think the Galactic Republic nor, especially the Jedi Order, will wish to miss an opportunity to take out a dark councilor."

The debate went on like this for hours. The Taris Provisional Government was momentarily paralyzed with fear, uncertainty, and doubt.


	16. A Jedi's Debriefing

A Jedi's Debriefing

The Republic supplied medical droids looked after the wounded Republic Commandos which had survived their battle against Imperial forces the previous day. One medical droid, MD73-RN97 monitored the recovery of one such survivor in a Kolto tank. The medical droid noted that all healing had completed several days ahead of the projected nominal recovery rate, and that the patient's body, as expected, had not rejected the artificial elbow joint implant.

The medical droid, according to its sophisticatedly dynamic medical algorithms, judged it was efficacious to end treatment at that point and to allow the patient to conduct physical therapy to round out her complete recovery. MD73-RN97 reported its findings with the medical doctor overseeing the patient's recovery.

The doctor, shocked at the almost instantaneous recovery overnight, went over the droid's findings, double checking for errors. She even examined the patient herself, before finally agreeing with the droid's prognosis. She signed off on the droid's recommendations to remove the patient from the kolto tank and to proceed with the next phase of treatments.

Meanwhile, the doctor returned her attention to four of her other medical droids' troubling reports of unexpectedly slow recoveries for several of her other patients. Some of her patients had even gotten worse. It worried her, greatly.

There was no explanation for any of it. She worried greatly that the droids were malfunctioning and committing errors. She took one of the medical droids off-line and had it begin a very lengthy self diagnostics procedure, to see what that might reveal.

Meanwhile, MD73-RN97 returned to its patient and, following established kolto recovery procedures, drained the patient's kolto tank into a kolto recovery barrel for recycling. As soon as the kolto tank had reached below five percent total capacity of kolto fluid remaining, the droid opened the tank and removed the patient to a treatment table for resuscitation.

The medical droid, however, found that the patient was already conscious and breathing normally, and thus proceeded with the post resuscitation exam to ensure that the patient's vital signs were at nominal levels. Following the examination, MD73-RN97 presented to the patient a regimen of exercises that would allow her time to adjust to her new prosthetic elbow joint and strengthen the natural bone, muscle, and tendons attached to it.

Juuldis finished getting dressed and donned her equipment. Her armored mask hung, attached to her belt over her left hip under her outer robe. Her sabrestaff, also under her outer robe on her opposite hip, was also attached to the belt. Her robes and armor had been cleaned and repaired, but they still showed signs of damage from her battles with Nox.

She flexed her arm. It didn't hurt anymore, but it didn't feel quite right either. Juuldis decided she'd have to get used to it, and follow the droid's advice for reconditioning her arm.

She wore a long coat over all of her Jedi attire and armor to disguise her Jedi garb from prying Imperial eyes. The hood of her outer robe was pulled back and was also hidden beneath her coat.

She left the hospital receiving the well wishes of the medical staff that oversaw the medical droids' activities, except for her own doctor who remained silent. She regarded Juuldis with suspicion. Her patients had begun to recover normally, precisely after Juuldis' treatment had ended.

Juuldis walked to the council building, a two story business office building a block away, and entered. Her hair, just long enough to cover her ears and cover the back of her neck, was jet black. It was brushed straight back and slicked down the back of her neck, exposing her ears, and all held stiffly in place with styling gel.

The guards at the council chamber doors, on the second level, stopped her. They knew who she was, but the Council was already in session. The emergency session had started at the eighth hour of the morning, but now it was a quarter hour past the Noon hour.

One of the guards told her, "Wait a moment, Master Jedi. I'll announce you."

She bowed her head and did as she was told. A moment later, a smiling council guardsman opened the council chamber door for her and bade her enter.

Juuldis entered the council chamber, a medium sized conference room, and approached the circular table. The five meter diameter table was open in the middle, shaped like a circular letter 'C', to allow a speaker to stand in the center and address the Council members around him. The full Council was in session including the First Minister and the Vice Minister. General Renningk, attending the emergency session, was accompanied by two of his top staff officers.

The table was full. So she sat on a chair at the side of the council chamber to listen as they spoke. No one else was seated at any of the chairs at the sides of the council chamber. General Renningk nodded her way, by way of greeting. Juuldis nodded, returning his greetings.

Council Member Jeld Fann said, "Jedi Master Juuldis is here. Let's ask for her assessment of what happened and what, if anything, we should change about our up coming operations."

Council Member Vennes Truk, a Human female, said, "Seconded."

First Minister Hadrek took votes. The motion passed unanimously.

The First Minister called to Juuldis, "Master Jedi, if you'll please, stand before the council to testify."

Juuldis stood and walked to the center of the circular table.

Jeld Fann spoke to Juuldis, asking her, "How are your injuries, Master Jedi? I understand you were terribly injured in your battles. Are you well? Should you be out of the hospital?"

Juuldis replied, "Through The Force, I was able to accelerate my healing. I am well. Thank you for asking."

First Minister Hadrek Parth asked her, "Are you able to answer questions of the Taris Provisional Governing Council? We have some questions regarding yesterday's operations in the deep ruins."

Juuldis nodded her head and said, "I am ready for your inquiries."

First Minister Parth said, "Councilor Fann, you may ask the first question."

The councilor answered, "Thank you, First Minister."

Then turning to Juuldis, standing in the middle of the circular "C" table, said, "Master Jedi, please give us your considered assessment of what went wrong at yesterday's operations."

Juuldis repeated the question, "My assessment of what went wrong...?"

She paused to think. When she'd gathered her thoughts, she started her report.

"Firstly, We didn't think they would use soldiers from the 256th Imperial Infantry Brigade, because all of the officers had been recalled. The Brigade was presumably taken out of service and the soldiers were to be reassigned to other units. However, there they were, nearly one hundred of them."

Juuldis took note that the meeting was being recorded, as any such meeting would be.

She continued speaking without pause, "Secondly, when they engaged us in battle, our commandos greatly underestimated them. They were without officers, therefore essentially leaderless. It turned out their sergeants were highly competent leaders and their troops highly disciplined. Plus they were reinforced with heavy war droids."

Juuldis eyed the General, whose staff provided the faulty analysis of the 256th's Brigade's condition to fight. She continued speaking without pausing, as General Renningk compressed his lips and cast his gaze downward. He was unable to keep eye contact with the Jedi, feeling the weight of responsibility for the disastrous failure of the mission and the loss of so many lives. Some of the councilors 'tisked', or shook their heads in disgust on hearing this news.

Juuldis shocked herself when she realized how much she hated him for getting her Jedi killed with that faulty intelligence. Juuldis immediately suppressed her hatred, and restored calm to her mind, but she continued speaking without pause.

She said, "Thirdly, We took too long moving the artifact from where it was discovered to the spaceport."

Showing frustration at her next point, she said with some exasperation in her tone, "Fourthly, why did we even use the spaceport? We should have landed in the streets next to the location where the artifact was found. It's not like we would have violated any city ordinances for doing so..."

Juuldis looked around at the Council Members and watched the disgust building in their faces as she outlined all of the miscalculations she and her commandos had committed.

She concluded her report, saying, "Finally, the Sith proved too strong for us. The two Jedi that I trained up from Padawans, were masters in everything but title. However, they were both defeated and killed by two Sith. I myself was defeated by their master, Darth Nox who sits on the Sith Empire's Dark Council, as you already know. It was my greatest trial, and I failed it miserably."

Juuldis shook her head as she tried to come to terms with just how weak she and her deceased Jedi subordinates were in comparison to the Sith they had fought. It shamed her greatly, and forced her to come to terms with a realization, as she thought to herself.

"_The Sith truly are strong!_"

The council members shook their heads in disappointment and expressed their dissatisfaction with the terrible mishandling of such an important operation. They angrily shouted their questions at General Renningk as well as at Juuldis. First Minister Hadrek Parth tapped his gavel on the conference table and called for order.

Juuldis thought derisively of their attitude, "_My sacrifice! My subordinates' sacrifice! The sacrifices of so many Republic Commandos! All for their insignificant rebellion! And all they can do is complain and point fingers?! The ingrates!_"

When order was restored, he said, "This is terrible news, Master Jedi. It must be difficult to have lost your two precious colleagues. However, how did you and your remaining commandos manage to escape? You said Darth Nox defeated you."

Juuldis let out a sigh. She bowed her head and closed her eyes to think. She sounded and looked so very tired and defeated to the council members scowling at her. Juuldis took a moment to clear her jumbled thoughts. She didn't want them to know that, as she lay on the launch pad, she'd told Nox where to find the artifact because she had been overcome with fear of her own death at his hands.

So, she lied, "The commandos escaped because the Sith discovered that the artifact was still in the old warehouse. They ordered their troops to break contact." She paused for breath before continuing.

At that moment, she thought of her former padawans, and realized that when Nox had left her on the landing pad, that he had gone to kill her two former pupils.

She thought to herself, "_Was obtaining the dark knowledge in that relic really worth it? Do I really want it that badly?_"

Aloud, Juuldis said, "As for me? Darth Nox utterly crushed me. I was laid out on the floor of the Spaceport."

Juuldis angrily asked herself, "_How can I, a Jedi Master be so damned weak against that twisted travesty of nature?!_"

She recalled looking at all of his old scars on his scalp, face and neck, as well as his blood from his new injuries. She remembered the Dark Side corruption darkening the areas around his eyes and mouth. He exuded a crushingly vile aura, and he looked and felt like a monster to her. He was evil, incarnate.

Aloud, she continued her report, "He approached me and said that I had potential and that he'd take me on as his apprentice."

Juuldis looked around at the unsympathetic eyes around the table, and told them the truth, "I accepted."

She had finally made up her mind, and at that moment felt liberated. She had felt as though a weight, that had held her down her entire life in the Jedi Order, had suddenly fallen off of her shoulders.

The shocked expressions of the men and women at the table was so amusing to her, but she didn't understand what was so funny about it. Her face cracked into a grim sneer at the terror she saw in their eyes as she drew and activated her sabrestaff. She had finally decided to carry out her first act of treason, not only against the Galactic Republic, but against the Jedi Order.

Juuldis proceeded to kill the leadership of the rebellion, starting with General Vilk Renningk and his staff officers, because they were armed. It was over so fast. In just under two seconds after igniting her weapon, she had killed eight men and women of the Taris Provisional Governing Council and three top ranking militia officers. Shock, terror, and disbelief prevented any of them from thinking to sound the alarm before it was too late.

Juuldis looked at the blood bath she'd created, and was immediately repulsed by it. She was devastated by crushing guilt for what she'd done. For an instant, she'd thought to turn herself in.

Then she reminded herself, "_I have always been looking for more power. I found a possible source of power and knowledge, and I want it. I will not stop, now!_" She told herself, "_I cannot remain weak! I must become stronger! I must learn their secrets for power!_"

When Juuldis had learned, through their spy, that a dark councilor had landed on the planet, and had begun a massive search for an ancient Rakata artifact, she knew that it would be an immensely valuable repository of dark knowledge. Dark knowledge always meant techniques for more power, and she wanted that power for herself.

Juuldis had lied to General Renningk and to the Taris Provisional Governing Council about what that artifact contained, telling them it was Rakata technologies that would help the Sith Empire's war effort. That's how she was able to get the assets she'd been given to attempt to get it herself.

For many years, she'd hidden the darkness within herself, even suppressing it as she tried to keep to her Jedi teachings. However, even then, she had always sought greater power. Her assignment on Taris had changed her for the worst.

The Dark Side was considerable on Taris. It pulled on her resolve, allowing her to gradually give in to the darkness that had always dwelled within her. Discovery of a Rakata artifact on Taris, which a dark councilor had craved, made her covet it for herself, and caused her slide to the Dark Side to accelerate.

Juuldis deactivated her sabrestaff as she walked to another, much smaller table with pitchers of water and cloth napkins at the side of the council chamber. As she cleaned the blood from the slaughter from her hands, face, and hair, she realized a dark truth.

Tears wet her face, as Juuldis thought with a pang of guilt, because she still loved them both as though they were her younger siblings, "_I would have had to kill my own Padawans when they learned the truth of that Rakata artifact._"

Juuldis felt conflicted when she realized she was glad the Sith had killed them both, because it had saved her of having to do it herself. When she'd finished cleaning the signs of murder from her face, hair and hands, and had wiped down her sabrestaff hilt, she removed her long blood covered coat and let it fall where she stood. She stepped over her blood soaked coat and walked to the sound proofed door and, cracking it open a little, slipped out, then closed it behind her again.

She whispered, "They're pretty busy in there. You'd better not bother them at all."

The two guards repeated in unison, "They're pretty busy in there. I'd better not bother them at all."

She walked passed them a few paces, turned about and said to the guards, "Good job, soldiers. Keep a sharp eye open, and remain at your posts."

The soldiers both thanked the Jedi Master as she turned about and walked away.

After leaving the building, she walked across the road to another business office building and entered it. It was the Free Tarisian's Army headquarters. There, she Force Persuaded her way into the personnel office, and obtained the roster of all militia members, past and present, dead and living. She came across a couple of other files, and something told her she should copy those as well. So, she did.

Juuldis walked out of the building and made her way to the parking structure next door. There, she stole a speeder bike and rode it out of the parking structure. She rode down the main thoroughfare and exited the gate of the settlement past nervous Imperial guards, who'd long ago learned to look at a wall, and _not see anything suspicious_.

Their officers kept getting murdered, and any of their fellow soldiers who looked too closely at anything tended to disappear. So, they _didn't see_ the Jedi ride out of the settlement's gates, _nor did they take note_ that it was one in the afternoon.


	17. Darth Nox's Debriefing

Darth Nox's Debriefing

It was two in the afternoon, the following day after Nox's _archaeological __expedition_ at Olaris Spaceport.

Shahn Lunn had spent the previous night, all morning, and a couple of hours into the afternoon submerged in a sealed kolto tank, as had a few dozen soldiers of the 256th Imperial Infantry Brigade. They were attached to the archaeological expeditionary operation the previous day.

Shahn's doctor, smiling, had told her, "My lord, you're healing quite well! You only need a few more days of kolto tank immersion to make a full recovery."

However, Shahn wasn't having any of that.

The cheap tiny speaker, attached to Shahn's kolto tank, projected her voice, adding a tinny quality to it as she ranted angrily through the microphone in her respirator.

"I can't spend even another few minutes in this tank! I have a meeting to attend!"

Shahn had misunderstood. The doctor hadn't meant that Shahn had to stay in the tank the entire time, but that's how she'd understood it. The result of that misunderstanding was tragic.

The medical doctor, who also oversaw the treatment of several Imperial soldiers wounded in battle the previous day, watched quietly in abject horror as Shahn drained the life force of two of her patients. They were Imperial soldiers who'd also been receiving medical care and healing in kolto tanks nearby to Shahn's tank. Thus, using a Dark Force healing ritual, Shahn sped up her own recovery, while sacrificing the lives of two Imperial soldiers.

Sometime later, the Imperial Army medical doctor recorded this information in Shahn's medical records. It was a horrific moment in her life. As she typed in the information in Shahn's medical records, it occurred to the doctor that Shahn could have easily took her life. With that thought, medical care of Sith patients suddenly took on a whole new level of danger for the doctor. She recorded her thoughts on the matter in Shahn's medical history.

An hour later, Shahn rushed into the conference room at Vulgren's headquarters and quickly found a place to sit at the conference table. Of course, Darth Nox was present. He was seated at the head of the table opposite from the conference room entrance, five seats up from where Shahn had sat.

Thanks to General Yennis' forward thinking, Darth Nox was able to get the medical attention he needed after his battle. As the general had predicted, Darth Nox did not check in to the Imperial Army Hospital of Imperial Settlement Number Three, and instead went straight to his residence.

There, 2V-R8, recognizing that Nox was severely wounded, directed its master to the first level of his apartments, where the kolto tank had been set up. 2V-R8, together with the medical droid assigned to serve Darth Nox, assisted him to undress. The medical droid then proceeded to spray wash Nox with an antibacterial solution.

The medical droid and 2V-R8 helped Nox into the tank. The medical droid attached a respirator to Nox's face, ensuring a proper seal, before finally filling the tank with kolto solution. The droid administered a sedative to help Nox relax into sleep, and then sealed the tank to protect against contaminants.

Despite his delirious condition (Nox had administered two other doses of kolto injections before returning to his apartments), as he was being undressed, he had enough presence of mind to instruct his ship droid, "2V-R8, start recording everything, the entire process. Remain by my side until I'm removed from this tank and revived. Ensure no wrong is done to me."

It was the following day at the Noon hour that he was removed from the tank. Darth Nox took his time bathing and then getting dressed. He ate a wonderfully nutritious, and delicious, meal prepared by 2V-R8. Finally, he was driven by an Imperial soldier to the headquarters. He'd arrived just a few minutes ahead of Shahn Lunn.

Shahn apologized to Nox, "Forgive my tardiness, Dark Lord. I got here as fast as the medical droids could get me out of that tank."

Nox ignored her. He seemed to be preoccupied with Vulgren, sitting at a corner among the junior officers who also sat or stood along the walls of the conference room.

Shahn immediately noticed that Senior Sergeant Mordant Hurst was also in attendance. He stood to her right, at the side of the conference room, near a wall among some of the junior officers. Although he gave her a neutral look, as she entered the room, she could clearly sense his hatred of her.

She decided to let it go. He wasn't being openly disrespectful towards her. It bothered her very little that she had her back to him, when she sat at the table.

Shahn thought contemptuously of Hurst to herself, "_Hmph! Let him try shooting me in the back!_" Then, feeling just a tiny bit contrite, she thought, "_Well, I did kill two of his men, after all. How can I blame him for hating me?_"

General Riiy'enni'sansa announced, "These proceedings are now in session." Then turning his head to look at Darth Nox, he asked, "My dark lord, how do you wish to proceed?"

Nox had been pointedly looking at Vulgren who'd been seated in the corner, on Nox's left, furthest from the conference room entrance. Vulgren, sitting among the junior officers, and not at the table, avoided Nox's eyes, staring at the floor in front of him, instead. 

Darth Nox turned to face the vacant chair at the opposite end of the conference table with the conference room door behind it. He saw that it was left vacant, as none of the officers present dared sit in it. It was Vulgren's seat, but he was too ashamed to sit in it.

Nox thought to himself, "_He knows I could destroy him at any instant. Yet, he remains._" Looking around at the officers standing against the walls around the table, Nox thought to himself, "His officers still respect him." Then he asked himself, "_Is his thirst for power that much greater than his fear of death?_" Nox told himself, "_He is no coward._" Thus, he grudgingly decided, "_I suppose I'll make use of him._"

Nox thought he'd heard Shahn's voice, but didn't hear what she'd said. At that instant, he felt Hurst's sudden surge of hatred and anger, but he decided to ignore it. Hurst's hatred was not aimed at him.

Instead he replied to the general's question, "Let's start by giving an account of the battle yesterday. Let's start with Senior Sergeant Hurst."

Mordant was quite a bit nervous surrounded by so many brass and three powerful Sith, one of which may have killed two of his men. He had no evidence. He knew he couldn't do anything about it even if he did. So, he pushed that matter aside and let it go, so that he could clear his thoughts.

Stepping forward, away from the wall, and snapping to attention, he exclaimed, "Senior Sergeant Mordant Hurst, reporting!" Relaxing his stance to ′_parade rest,_′ he began his report, "Per Darth Nox's orders, Special Infantry Detachment One, _S.I.D.O._, split up into sections and searched for the enemy. Section Three, which I accompanied, made contact with Republic forces at Olaris Spaceport.

"All other sections converged at the spaceport on my orders. Using model PLVD-627-K2 portable levitating scout droids, S.I.D.O. plotted the enemy's deployments and formations and spotted space shuttles at the scene before the droids were ultimately destroyed by the enemy. I reported the shuttles to Darth Nox who ordered them destroyed.

"S.I.D.O. pushed the commando forces to secure a position from which to engage the shuttles. At that point, a Jedi was spotted at the scene. I reported this information to Darth Nox, who then responded to the scene. Although we attempted to take out the Jedi, we were unsuccessful and largely ignored."

Darth Nox had noticed that the Senior Sergeant had gotten the order of events a little mixed up. The Jedi had actually been reported first, and afterward the shuttles, but he decided it didn't really make a big difference, so Nox kept silent.

With all of the senior imperial officers, a general, and three Sith giving him blank expressions, Mordant didn't know if his report was being well received, but he pressed on.

"Upon Darth Nox's arrival, he destroyed two well placed commando heavy weapons operators, which allowed S.I.D.O. to approach the launch pad with much less resistance. Darth Nox then engaged the Jedi in battle.

"Upon arrival to the launch pad, we attacked and successfully destroyed three Republic shuttle craft with the heavy war droids attached to S.I.D.O. We also forced Republic Commando forces to withdraw from the spaceport. Unfortunately, S.I.D.O. was unable to destroy the enemy completely. However, we managed to inflict heavy losses on their part, while sustaining relatively light losses on our part.

"Per Darth Nox's order, S.I.D.O. broke contact with the enemy and withdrew to the insertion point with recovered weapons, equipment, our dead and wounded, damaged war droids, and intel on the enemy. End of report."

Mordant Hurst returned to attention and then stepped back to the wall. Waiting for what came next, he relaxed his stance from 'attention' to 'at ease.'

General Yennis said in a dry voice, "Very well Senior Sergeant." Then turning to Nox, Yennis asked, "Does my dark lord wish to add to the report?"

Nox said without any hesitation, "These soldiers performed well, especially considering that they faced Republic Commandos. Be sure they are properly rewarded. Also, you might consider retaining the 256th Infantry Brigade and adding it to your Division instead of disbanding them. If S.I.D.O.'s performance is any indication, then I'm sure the rest of the brigade will do well. Only, be sure to get competent officers to lead them this time."

Turning to look at the senior sergeant, Nox continued, "Also, Senior Sergeant Hurst exhibited great intelligence, and extraordinary aptitude in leading his S.I.D.O. unit in combat. He should be considered for battlefield promotion to Lieutenant."

Senior Sergeant Hurst was deeply moved by Nox's overflowing praise.

He said, "Dark Lord, you are most gracious! Thank you!"

Nox replied flatly, "I give nothing because of _graciousness!_ I only give what is deserved, because it furthers the goals of the Empire."

Snapping to attention, Mordant bowed his head towards Nox, in deep respect and appreciation to Darth Nox. General Yennis was also deeply surprised by Nox's assessment of the soldiers' performance in the field, but especially of his assessment of Senior Sergeant Hurst.

His tone reflected his surprise as he replied, "If that is your will, Dark Lord, it shall be done."

Yennis, again, turned his head to look at the senior sergeant, regarding him with some interest. Before too much time had passed, Yennis got the debriefing moving again. He sat at the side of the table, next to Darth Nox, on the dark lord's right side.

Looking down the length of the conference table at the opposite side of it, his bright red eyes rested on Shahn Lunn as he asked, "Then, my lord Shahn, may we hear your account of things as they occurred in your sector of responsibility?"

Shahn became nervous. Darth Nox's number one apprentice had been killed in this action because of her short comings. She feared Nox would continue to hold it against her, and that he would eventually take his anger out on her. She remembered watching his very brief emotional display as Xalek died, and realized then how important Xalek had been to him.

Shahn gave her account of the battle between herself, Xalek, and the two Jedi. Although she felt shame, the officers had nothing but words of praise for her conduct in battle when she'd concluded her report. Shahn took some comfort from the praise, but Nox remained mute, and unreadable.

Shahn didn't realize that it was the norm for military officers to fawn over their Sith overlords, simply to avoid trouble for themselves. Her archaeologists always behaved professionally around her, and never wasted time on superfluous platitudes, which was not the norm and which is how she preferred it. It was actually quite rare when military officers became truly impressed by the actions of any Sith. Nox had seen through it, however, and simply let them play their part.

It wasn't until Darth Nox spoke that she started to feel some increased anxiety. However, her feelings of shame became greater than her feelings of fear. Nox had spoken of her as though she were a mere novice.

He said, "Given the skill and cunning of their master, I can only surmise that Darth Xalek and Shahn had met with a great challenge, and in the end prevailed. Darth Xalek vanquished his foe before succumbing to a sneak attack by the _other Jedi_."

Nox had been looking at Shahn, his facade was a stone mask, when he'd said that last part.

She felt her time had ended, believing, "_And now, I die._"

However, to her surprise, Nox turned his gaze away from her and resumed his assessment, saying, "Shahn, herself, exhibited _great potential_ in her battle with her opponent, _despite the difference in skill_."

Shahn's humiliation was only compounded at Nox's characterization of her skills. She imagined that he had spoken of her as though she was greatly outclassed by her Jedi opponent, and had made it seem as though she were a promising young acolyte fresh from the Sith Academy.

Shahn told herself, "_I'm not that unskilled. And it's been some years since I passed my trials at the Sith Academy!_" Chiding herself, she told herself, "_And yet I had so much trouble dealing with that Jedi! I made too many clumsy mistakes!_"

Yet Shahn, hiding her shame from everyone but the dark lord, who could sense her doubts and fears, said to Nox, "You honor me greatly, Dark Lord."

Darth Nox had chosen not reply to Shahn. This made her dread that perhaps she'd spoken out of turn. Shahn greatly feared Darth Nox, and rightly so. Shahn was not far off the mark with her fears that the dark lord suspected that she'd let her opponent kill Darth Xalek before she had finally defeated him.

When Nox spoke again, it was to go over his own encounter with the Jedi Master. Nox skipped many details of the battle, and did not mention the crate nor its contents. He mainly concentrated on the discussion he had with her after he'd defeated her. Even as he spoke, an officer entered the conference room and rushed over to General Yennis to whisper into his ear.

Nox ended his report, saying, "I'll know that I've completely subdued her, if she reports to me with news of her success, and if she brings to me the required information I told her to obtain."

Yennis' voice was shaky with excitement as he reported, "My dark lord, Darth Nox! It has been reported to me that a Jedi has surrendered herself at the gate! I've been told that she has asked to be brought before you. It has happened as you have said!"

Shahn became excited, as she realized that Nox had not lied to her about the Jedi becoming his apprentice.

She asked herself, "_Then perhaps, did he not lie about a ritual to subdue Zash to gain her knowledge?_"

However, even as Shahn had thought it, she doubted it.

It finally hit her, as she thought, "_Darth Nox will gain much more if he were to recover Zash from the mind trap. But how will he accomplish this?_" She asked herself.

Suddenly, as the realization came to her, she became even more fearful of him, as she considered that his power in The Force was several magnitudes greater than she had ever imagined.

Shahn thought, "_If he could will a Jedi Master to submit to him, then he could simply will me to submit to Zash!_" Shahn finally understood why it was that Nox had not killed her for her failure in contributing to Xalek's death, as she concluded, "_He needs me, for Zash!_"

Shahn watched in great fear as Nox smiled and, in a rare moment of levity, boasted, "I'm just that good. Aren't I?"

Yennis informed Darth Nox, "Based on what you have said, I gave orders to have her brought here. Do you object, Dark Lord?"

Nox decreed with determination in his tone, "The time for doubt is behind us. Let us see what will transpire. Let her come."

* * *

Twenty minutes had passed, during which reports were made and strategies were planned for the upcoming operation to search for, and to destroy the rebel militia. General Riiy'enni'sansa also wanted to learn what Nox was after in the deep ruins.

The senior sergeant had been fully debriefed by the junior officers for details on how the commandos had conducted themselves in battle, their tactics, their equipment, what tactics worked against them, what didn't work, etc. As the senior sergeant was dismissed, General Yennis rose from his seat and followed Mordant Hurst out of the conference room.

The general called to him, "Senior Sergeant Hurst, walk with me."

Mordant Hurst snapped to attention and replied, "Yes, General!"

He fell to the general's left, and walked in step with Yennis, as though marching, but at a slow pace.

As they walked down the corridor towards the building's exit, Yennis said to him, "As the dark lord pointed out, you've got the knack to lead men in battle. I was listening in on your debrief. You really paid attention to the important details during that fight, and acted quickly to adjust your tactics. Good work, Senior Sergent!"

Mordant, gratitude evident in his tone, replied, "Thank you, General."

General Yennis said with feeling, "I liked what the dark lord said to you, ′_I give not because of graciousness, but because it is deserved and it serves the needs of the Sith Empire._′ You really made an impression on him."

Mordant Hurst said, "It really meant a lot to me, that he said that, General."

General Yennis nodded, smiling proudly at his soldier's success.

Then he said, "After your promotion, I'll see to it you're sent to the Imperial Officers' Academy on Ziost, for your formal training."

However, what the general was really after was information. Now that he had the sergeant out of Nox's hearing, he had his chance to get it.

Yennis said, "There's no doubt that that traitorous spy had given the enemy information about what Darth Nox was after in the deep ruins." Then he asked, "Did you see or hear anything that would compel the Jedi and Republic Commandos to go after it?"

Senior Sergeant Hurst replied crisply, but in a low tone, "General Yennis, the only thing I saw was a small detachment from the Imperial Reclamation Service with excavation droids. They ended up not doing a single thing, but a crate had been recovered from the ruins. It seems the Republic hadn't gotten to it, yet."

General Yennis nodded his head, accepting the senior sergeant's answer, then stopping at the sliding glass doors inside the entrance to the headquarters, he shook the sergeant's hand, wished him luck with his military career, and dismissed him.

As he returned to the conference room, General Yennis wondered to himself, "_What was so blasted important that the Jedi and the Commandos would risk everything to intercept, before the dark lord had retrieved it?!_"

General Riiy'enni'sansa thought to himself as he sat at the conference table, "_Darth Nox and lord Shahn said nothing about what his objectives in the deep ruins were during their debriefing._

"Yennis concluded to himself, "_It's probably just stuff related to the Sith religion. A Sith weapon of some sort? It very likely has nothing to do with our overall mission. Whatever the reason, it has worked out quite well for us in the end. That's all that matters._"

With that, he put the matter out of his mind.

Just then, a Jedi, in Force suppressing manacles, was ushered into the conference room under heavy guard. One of the guards in the escort detail handed Darth Nox her sabrestaff.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as Yennis thought, "_The anti-sith is here!_"

Yennis turned his head to look at Nox, as the dark lord commanded, "Apprentice Candidate, sit _there_."

Nox pointed to the chair he wanted Juuldis to sit in. Shahn looked over her shoulder at the tall and beautiful Amazon of a woman, as she walked behind her, past where Shahn sat, five seats down the table from her dark lord. Shahn watched as the Amazonian beauty sat in the chair, which had been hastily vacated by an Army officer, only three seats down the table from where Nox sat.

The Amazonian sat _there_, obediently, wordlessly, resting her manacled hands on the table.

Nox ordered her, flatly, "Give me your report."

Juuldis reported as ordered.

"Master, I did what you said. The elected leaders of the Taris Provisional Government are all dead. I also killed the commanding general of the Free Tarisians' Army and two of his senior staff officers.

"I got the names of all recruits that have ever joined the Free Tarisians' Army, past and present. And as unexpected bonuses, I also found a list of registered voters who voted in the elections of the governing council and their First Minister. _And_ I also found a list of the places they're hiding their weapons and munitions caches all over the forests. What else can I do for you, Master?"

General Yennis felt chills run up and down his spine as he listened to her heavily accented Basic. It just made it so much more _real_ to him that Darth Nox conquered, subdued, and turned a _Jedi Master_ to his service! He shook his head slowly, in deep admiration and awe of Nox's heroism. Yennis looked forward to reporting this to his superiors. He wanted Darth Nox to receive a commendation for his outstandingly heroic achievement and conquest.

He wanted Nox to receive recognition from the Dark Council as well. Several years ago, Nox was one of the very few Dark Councilors who pressed the others to agree to give the Alien races and species full Imperial status as citizens and to be given the right to serve in the Imperial military.

In fact, it was Nox who had risked much in spearheading the push for 'Alien Inclusion' directly after his battles on Ilum to crush Darth Malgus' attempt to usurp the Sith Empire's Imperial throne. Nox's actions, and the policies he championed, was why Yennis had been able to rise within the Imperial Army to hold general's rank and to command a division. His status was a result of his own hard work, to be sure, but Yennis felt he owed Nox a great deal.

Darth Nox had got his proposal adopted by the Dark Council, but it was rumored that he'd spent a lot of political capital to make it happen. Nox had gained powerful enemies within the Dark Council, who sought to bring him down for effectively ending the Sith's institutional hatred and oppression of the alien races. With a personal achievement, such as subduing a Jedi Master, Darth Nox was sure to gain greater respect from his fellow Dark Councilors, both allied and enemy alike.

Darth Nox studied Juuldis carefully, trying to sense all of the emotions that poured from her. This time, she did not bother hiding her feelings. When Juuldis had finally taken the deep and irreversible plunge into the Dark Side of The Force, she decided to do away with her Jedi teachings, which taught her to carefully guard her thoughts.

As she rode her stolen speeder bike down the highway towards Imperial Settlement Number Three, she embraced her emotions and had gone through a sea change in her attitudes, ideals, and philosophies. These un-jedi like thoughts were always hidden deep within her subconsciousness, percolating up into her conscious mind from time to time.

Juuldis had learned to repress these dark thoughts to keep true to her Jedi teachings. However, over the years, her Dark Side leanings began to challenge her Jedi teachings.

Despite her every attempt to deny, repress, and even lie to herself, deep down inside, she had never given up on those Dark Side ideals. It was why her slide to the Dark Side of The Force took many years to finally manifest as it had, and why it was never detected by her Jedi peers.

Nox did not sense deceit from her. Then he remembered he'd been fooled by Millie Kine. This time, however, he did not fly into a rage. He'd had his vengeance on her, already.

Nox told the guard standing behind Juuldis, "Remove her manacles."

The guard had his blaster rifle pointed, bare centimeters, from the back of Juuldis' head. He obeyed without question, but started to become nervous as he slung his blaster rifle to the weapons rack on the back of his body armor. He used an electronic key to deactivate her Force suppressing manacles. Then, using the same key, he unlocked the physical locking mechanisms, and opened the manacles.

Juuldis removed her wrists from the manacles and rubbed them with her hands as the guard took the heavy manacles away. Nox had been watching her and waiting to see what she might do next. Juuldis sat quietly, looking around the conference room at all of the Imperial Army officers staring at her.

She took note that there were two other Sith with Darth Nox in the conference room. They eyed her, warily. She knew they would attack her, instantly, if she so much as twitched. Finally, her eyes swept over her sabrestaff, sitting on the table in front of the dark lord. If she wanted to, she could use The Force to reclaim her weapon, but she resisted the urge to do so.

She sat, apprehensively waiting for what would come next. She found herself hungering for Nox's teachings, even though that wasn't her original intent. What she hungered for, even more, was for the power she believed was locked away in that Rakata relic, but which she'd failed to obtain in her disaster riddled operation in the deep ruins.

Nox, noting that nothing had happened, said, "Apprentice Candidate, you said you had a data pad with incriminating evidence of subversion and rebellion? Where is it?"

As Juuldis took the data pad from her utility belt and placed it on the table, she said with great relish, and through her thick Republic accent, "Here it is, Master!"

She smiled nervously, as she wondered if Nox would betray her. She knew Sith were known for that sort of thing. She was taking a huge risk. In essence, she had bet her life that she'd get what she'd craved.

A guard picked it up and began to walk towards Nox with it. Nox pointed to Yennis, sitting next to him, on the opposite side of the table from where Juuldis and Shahn sat, and said, "Give it to him." Then he ordered, "General Yennis, have it processed."

Yennis answered, "As you wish, Dark Lord."

However, before the guard could bring it to him, Yennis pointed to his Intelligence Officer, standing at the side of the conference room, near to where Senior Sergeant Hurst had stood, behind Shahn Lunn, ordering, "Give it to her." Then turning his face towards her, he ordered, "Major Nordath Fey, process this datapad."

Nordath snapped, "Yes, General!" She took the data pad from the guard. Then, handing it to one of her subordinates, commanded, "Take this to quarantine! Now! Prepare it for analysis!"

The subordinate rushed off with the data pad, worry smeared across his face. Juuldis tried to stifle a smirk, but she couldn't. She couldn't help but chortle.

In her thick Republic accent, she said, "It's not a bomb!"

Nox was struck with great mirth.

He laughed as he asked Juuldis, "How does it feel to be free of the cumbersome rules and obligations of the Jedi Order?"

Juuldis said, "It was like a great weight was taken off of my shoulders! It feels wonderful! I used to let myself enjoy the satisfaction of killing my enemies, but then I had to deal with my terrible guilt afterward. No more! I will enjoy everything I do! I want more power. I want more joy. I want more excitement! _I feel free!_"

Nox nodded, smiling outwardly, but thinking to himself, "_She's strong enough to be freed by The Force. But I will, none the less, bend her to my will!_"

Juuldis paused, and becoming sober, looked steadily into Nox's eyes and said, "I want your teachings." She paused briefly, casting her eyes to the table before her, to reflect that she'd really meant that. Then returning her gaze to Nox, she asked, "You _will_ teach me, right Master?"

Nox's smile broadened as he announced, "Everyone, meet my newest apprentice, after Shahn Lunn."

He looked at Shahn Lunn when he'd said that last part. His smile seemed forced to her.

The guards which had escorted Juuldis in, immediately holstered their pistols and slung their rifles to their weapons racks on their back armor, and immediately stepped well away from the conference table. They desperately wanted orders to be dismissed. The Jedi had just become a Sith, and they wanted to get as far away as possible from her, lest she decided that she wanted them dead for their rough treatment of her as they escorted her to the headquarters.

Shahn Lunn, hearing what Nox had just said, was struck with shock that quickly became excitement when she realized what that meant for her status among ordinary Sith. She bowed her head reverently, gratefully to Nox, as she acknowledged her new role. She had just become an apprentice to Darth Nox, a dark lord seated on the Dark Council, and she was senior to the _turned_ Jedi Master – now, _her rival._

Shahn's excitement grew as she realized she'd found a way out of Nox's designs for her. Shahn realized that she could save herself, if she could get the Jedi to confront Zash in her stead.

Shahn thought of Juuldis, "_My rival and, hopefully, my pawn._"

However, Shahn could see from Nox's less than pleased expression, that her future was still uncertain. She knew that she had her work cut out for her. Shahn was under no illusions. She knew this Jedi was strong in The Force. She had battled Darth Nox, and had survived.

Nox continued speaking about his newest, and most junior apprentice, "Her name is Juuldis Vannithana Resh."

Nox beckoned with a motion of his hand for one of the nervous guards to approach. Nox then gave the guard her sabrestaff.

He ordered, "Give this to her," indicating Juuldis with a wave of his hand.

Silence followed. No one was really sure how to react to such an announcement. Finally, as Juuldis accepted the return of her weapon, Yennis began to applaud.

Yennis declared, "I welcome you to the Sith Empire, my lord Juuldis. May your exploits bring greater glory, for you, for Darth Nox, and for the Sith Empire!"

The other imperial officers joined in the applause. Following their commander's example, they too, showered Juuldis with their well wishes. The guards that had brought her, also shouted cheers and clapped their hands in hopes it would deflect any animosity she might have for them, if she still held any resentment towards them.

When the brief, impromptu celebration had ended, and the guards, to their great relief, had been dismissed, General Yennis conducted Juuldis' debriefing. He asked her about the rebel militia, the remaining commandos, their rebel government, etc. With all business attended to, the meeting was adjourned.

Nox looked at Yennis and said, "When the intel on that data pad has been processed, apprise me of the information gleaned from it."

Yennis bowed his head and said, "As you command, Dark Lord."

Out of the blue, Nox turned to Vulgren and spoke to him, "This is your final opportunity to show me that you are worth keeping alive. Do not waste it."

Vulgren was too much in shock to respond as Nox stood from the conference table and made his way to the conference room door. His two apprentices stood to leave with him. All of the officers, seated at the table, immediately stood as well. They watched silently as Nox left the conference room, with the petite Shahn and the Amazonian Juuldis on either side of and slightly behind the dark lord.


	18. Redemption For Vulgren

Redemption For Vulgren

The following morning, Shahn made arrangements for her picked team of archaeologists to return to their original dig site and to return to work there. In the end, they were not needed for Nox's archaeological expedition. Her team had hid, with their excavation droids, within some of the ruined structures, and waited for the battle's outcome.

Her team of Imperial archaeologists were ecstatic at the Empire's victory over the _villainous Republic scum_, even offering praise and adulation to Shahn for her own personal victory against a terrible Jedi foe. Shahn, however, remained thoroughly irritated.

She complained to herself, _"We didn't even need any of them! What an utter waste! They could have been doing work at the main dig site! How much more work could have been done, at that Jedi museum, if I hadn't needlessly brought them to this heap of ruins, I wonder?!_"

Nox had told her their services would not be needed to study the artifact, which she already thought went without saying, but that did not take away from the fact that their time could have better been used at _her_ excavation site. Shahn hated wasting time, wasting resources, wasting opportunities, but she certainly was not going to tell Darth Nox any of that.

Her mood had improved greatly, however, when Nox had not only not cut her off from study of the artifact, but had in fact granted her unfettered and _unsupervised access_ to the Rakata artifact.

Nox had Juuldis with him when he'd told Shahn, _"_You and Captain Talos Drellik shall work together on the study of the artifact. Learn what you can of it, and then report your findings to me."

Darth Nox had, unknowingly, committed another error. He underestimated Shahn's abilities to learn the dangers of the Rakata artifact. He was sure Shahn would foolishly attempt to use The Force to directly peer into the device. Despite the fact that he headed The Sphere of Ancient Knowledge and, by extension, the Imperial Reclamation Service, he'd forgotten that the military archaeologists used many safeguards when studying ancient Sith relics, and other unknown ancient alien technologies.

Nox fully expected to find a freed but weakened Zash, when next he laid eyes on Shahn's body. Weak, because although Nox thought of Shahn as talented, he did not believe she was very strong in The Force. Again, Nox's hubris allowed him to blind himself to the truth. He had underestimated her power.

It was, however, partly Shahn's fault, too, that Nox saw her as weak. She underestimated her own strength, as well, and she behaved mildly obsequiously when around Nox.

Without another word, and without waiting for a proper response from Shahn, he turned about and walked away, Juuldis trailed silently behind him.

Nox thought, "_Soon that worthless worm will be nothing but an irritating memory, and I shall have Zash as my servant._"

Shahn felt greatly relieved, thinking to herself, "_Now is my chance to learn how this thing works! Perhaps I'll figure out a way to sacrifice Juuldis to it!_"

Shahn thanked Nox's retreating back, "You honor me greatly, Dark Lord! Thank you!"

* * *

Nox returned to the headquarters with Juuldis, to see what progress had been made with the data pad she had brought. Nox was mildly surprised to find Vulgren waiting for him in the main lobby of the headquarters. He was equally surprised to hear him speak, as Vulgren greeted the dark lord. Darth Nox was sure Vulgren would never muster the courage to face him again. 

Vulgren approached Nox and bowing deeply said, "My dark lord, Darth Nox, I am deeply honored by your presence. I have news, if you wish for me to report it."

Nox, hiding his surprise, merely replied, "Good. Then let's go to your office."

Darth Nox fully expected Vulgren to finally flee Taris, and go into hiding. The afternoon before, Nox had pretty much told Vulgren he would die at his very next failure. Vulgren, working to keep his voice from tremoring and his hands from trembling, replied with feeling in his tone, "My dark lord honors me greatly! Please, follow me."

Vulgren straightened from bowing and turned to proceed to his office with Darth Nox and his newest apprentice, Juuldis, following. Nox marveled that Vulgren had not only not fled the planet, but that he'd actually mustered the strength and courage to face him again. As Vulgren led him to his office, Nox could not help but be impressed with Vulgren's courage.

He thought to himself of Vulgren, "_He is a fool! Or, he is tenacious!_"

In Vulgren's office, Nox chose to sit behind Vulgren's desk. Juuldis stood to one side of the desk facing Vulgren, to Nox's left. Vulgren stood before his own desk and did not even dare to think of sitting in his own office.

Nox's eyes bore into Vulgren as he studied his falsely calm facade. Vulgren's fragile calm was on the brink of crumbling. It was in danger of exposing the dread and regret that flowed turbulently beneath.

Nox ordered in a cold curt tone, "Report."

Vulgren bowed his head deeply, and replied, "As my dark lord desires!" Then obsequiously, "I obey!"

Vulgren immediately regretted saying that last phrase. He felt ashamed for being so thoroughly cowed.

Nox's hands rested, lightly clasped together, on Vulgren's desk. Vulgren found himself looking at the finger Nox had used to end his master's life.

He thought to himself, "_If the dark lord wants to end me, at least it will be quick and painless._"

This thought did nothing to settle his nerves. Vulgren ended his bow, lifting his head to look Nox in the eyes. He saw nothing but hatred and disdain in them.

Then he began his report, telling Nox, "The data pad proved to be a treasure. Not only did we get the names and addresses of their entire rebel army, but the locations of all of their weapons and munitions caches, their weaponized heavy duty work droids, all of it. The voter registration roster was also of immense value. With it, we are able to separate the dissidents from the loyal citizens."

Juuldis had not realized she was speaking out of turn, as she observed, "A loyal citizen would have reported the dissidents."

Vulgren, suddenly becoming silent, shifted his eyes back and forth between Nox and Juuldis, waiting for Nox to speak to Juuldis' unsolicited observation. However, since Nox said nothing of Juuldis' breach of decorum, and since Nox had not deigned to give an answer to her observation, Vulgren took it upon himself to reply to her remarks.

After a time, when he was sure Nox would remain silent, he said to Juuldis, "The loyal citizens were in the minority, and in fear for their safety. Thus, their silence."

Juuldis turned to look at Nox, expecting him to reply to Vulgren's excuses for the silent loyalists. There she saw, in Nox's eyes, his deep anger turned towards her. Realizing then that she should not have spoken, Juuldis determined to remain silent for the remainder of the briefing. She returned her passive gaze towards Vulgren, avoiding Nox's eyes, and remaining silent thereafter.

Nox returned his hate filled gaze towards Vulgren.

Nox's scowl towards him, however, told Vulgren nothing of what Nox was thinking. Nox had always scowled at him since arriving to Imperial Settlement Number Three, and it made him dread that perhaps he should have fled the planet after all.

Despite Nox's declaration the afternoon before, giving Vulgren a final chance to prove himself, he wondered to himself for the hundredth time, "_Why am I still here?! I could have started over somewhere else!_"

Sweat beaded on Vulgren's brow as he gulped to swallow back his fear. He took in a deep breath before continuing his report. His eyes had returned to Nox's deadly finger.

"General Yennis' 897th Infantry Division arrived several hours sooner than expected. They started to arrive beginning on the second hour of the morning."

And now Vulgren was at the part he knew would either elevate him in Nox's eyes, or get him instantly killed like his old master.

He said to Nox, "I took it upon myself, Dark Lord, to take advantage of their early arrival, and ordered General Yennis to deploy them to swiftly seize control of Settlement Number Two and to cut the rebels off from their weapons and munitions caches."

Nox had stirred on hearing that, leaning forward in Vulgren's chair. His face showed his shocked surprise, with anger increasingly clouding over his features as the surprise wore off.

Nox thought angrily, "_This is not the plan that I had worked out with General Yennis!_"

Darth Nox had put together a plan for a daylight attack that would punish the citizenry, as well as destroy the rebel army. He remained silent, however, and continued to listen to Vulgren's report.

Nox, thoroughly exasperated, thought to himself, "_Let me see how much damage this fool has done!_"

Nox's reaction caused him to think that Nox was about to attack him. Vulgren had flinched, and his stomach convulsed into knots, but he continued to speak. His voice cracked and began to quaver. However, despite his growing fear, he continued to tell Nox what he'd done.

"I allowed General Yennis to deploy the 256th Infantry Brigade, reinforced with a battalion of heavy war droids and a company of sensor droids, to seize control of the caches of weapons, munitions, and weaponized droids hidden throughout the forest. This, to prevent the rebels from arming themselves. The 256th, reinforced, were airlifted with all of our shuttles to speed them to the caches as quickly as possible.

"As such, General Yennis deployed his 897th Infantry Division to surround and capture Imperial Settlement Number Two. He split his division into its four brigades to move them rapidly into and around the town."

Vulgren quickly broke down how each brigade had been utilized, as Nox compressed his lips into an even angrier scowl and ever so slightly shook his head in the negative. He was deeply displeased at how thoroughly his battle plan had been cast aside. But he continued to listen to Vulgren's report.

"One brigade has moved directly into Imperial Settlement Number Two. They have established check points on every street intersection and are conducting numerous heavy patrols in every sector of town. Yennis also established a perimeter to surround the settlement with two other brigades. This, to prevent any from exiting or entering the town without permission.

"Thus, he is left with one brigade in reserve to respond where needed. These brigades moved directly to their positions without stopping here." Vulgren exaggerated a little, saying, "Their deployments were carried out flawlessly, Dark Lord."

Although, the brigades moved to their target locations with the utmost of efficiency, the officers still needed time to orient themselves and to familiarize themselves with their surroundings to ensure proper deployment of their troops to their positions, and that took a lot of time. Plus, the troops were exhausted. It took a lot of sharp tongued haranguing, and oath filled threats, from their sergeants, to get the troops to move smartly.

Vulgren continued his report with actual facts, telling Nox, "Martial law has been declared with a curfew put into effect."

Nox huffed angrily as he leaned back in Vulgren's chair, crossing his arms, and tossing his head to one side with a look of sheer disgust on his face. Yet, Nox kept silent, saying nothing to Vulgren.

At that moment, Vulgren decided that it didn't matter anymore.

He told himself, "_I've done what I've done and said what I've said! If Darth Nox doesn't approve, then I'll die as quickly as my incompetent fool master had!_"

Thus, steeling himself with resolve, most of his fear left him. Vulgren regained sharpness in his eyes, and his back became rigid with determination. He prepared himself to die without fear.

He continued his report to Darth Nox, saying, "Several hundred unarmed rebels have been arrested as they attempted to access the weapons caches in the forest. There were very few casualties among the rebels, and none among the 256th Infantry Brigade."

What Vulgren had left out from his report was that these 'several hundred rebels' had rushed to their munitions and weapons cashes in the confusion of the first hours of the raid. After the arrival of Yennis' troops in and around Imperial Settlement Number Two, while the brigades of the 897th arranged their perimeters and established their check points and patrols. Some of the rebels had gotten out of the settlement, and vanished into the forests.

Thus demonstrating that their deployment was not as flawlessly carried out as he'd suggested earlier. It was fortunate for him, and General Yennis, that the 256th Infantry Brigade had successfully blocked off access to the rebels' weaponry, beforehand.

Vulgren, speaking without pause, had been telling Darth Nox, "Inside the settlement, the rebel militia officers and many shadow government officials have been arrested. The bulk of the rebel fighters have, thus far, remained in their homes as ordered by General Yennis – in accordance to his curfew order for Imperial Settlement Number Two."

Nox had shaken his head again in the negative, but the fury in his eyes had softened a little, and his scowl diminished somewhat. That, and that Vulgren continued to breath, gave him a little hope that he might survive this day.

He continued his report, telling Darth Nox, "I've sent Combat Engineers to construct a hasty field prison to take in the prisoners for processing. Meanwhile, the leadership are all being held in a makeshift prison camp outside of the settlement, guarded by elements of one of the brigades which had established the perimeter."

Nox finally spoke, cutting into Vulgren's report and startling Vulgren into silence.

He said disgustedly, "So, you have largely quashed their rebellion in a rather bloodless fashion. Is _that_ what you are telling me?!"

Vulgren was heartened to hear Nox phrase his question in such positive terms, but Nox's seeming dissatisfaction with the result confused him, until Nox spoke his mind again.

He told Vulgren rather forcefully, "I wanted them to pay _bloodily_ for their treason! I wanted to make an example of them all!"

Vulgren tried to offer Nox options, telling him, "Once all rebel fighters and dissident citizens, those on the voter registration list, have been rounded up, we'll have a choice to reprimand them and issue appropriate punishment for letting themselves be led astray, or we can make examples of them all and hold mass executions."

Juuldis stirred on hearing this, but kept silent. Nox's eyes shifted towards her. He sensed her doubt.

He shifted his eyes back towards Vulgren, and asked, "What do _you_ think?"

Realizing that his answer might kill him, Vulgren immediately replied anyway, "The Emperor's wrath should be felt for their rebellion, but then we'd end up making martyrs of them, and we'll end up giving the Republic political ammunition to use to foment more rebellion against us. Not only here, but elsewhere in the galaxy."

It was a very mild critique of Nox's original plan, and both he and Nox knew it was. Vulgren's heart began pounding, then. He could feel its beating throughout his being. He knew he'd crossed a line that could not be uncrossed, but Vulgren didn't care anymore.

Nox, incredulity edging his tone, shouted his questions at Vulgren, "So, a stern lecture and punitive fines and civic duties to pay for their crimes?! Is that it, Vulgren?!"

The dark lord definitely hated the idea, Vulgren could see, but he stuck to his convictions, and readied himself to die.

He said with finality in his tone, "Yes, Dark Lord. That is it."

After a long silence, during which Nox thought to himself, "_This man is absolutely fearless! I like him! But the rebellion leadership, at the very least, must pay with their lives. We must round them up for trials and executions, as examples to the rest, and to ensure they are not around to start trouble again._"

Nox uncrossed his arms, letting them settle gently onto the armrests of Vulgren's chair, and nodding his head slowly, he looked up at Vulgren.

Nox said, "Very well. Then I'll let you handle the rest. You've proven to have more brains and intestinal fortitude than your dead master. I'll tell Darth Komo. However, do not relax. The situation can still go out of control.

"Also, do not forget that there are those who will choose rebellion, no matter how _mercifully_ the Empire treats the rebels and dissidents that return to obedience. However, the rebellion leadership must all answer with their lives. They fomented rebellion against the Emperor, and the Sith Empire!"

Vulgren bowed at the waist, saying, "I am deeply honored by your words my dark lord! I will not fail you! I will crush those who choose rebellion over obedience. But those most culpable shall pay in blood for their crimes!"

Nox nodded, glad that Vulgren finally understood that Darth Nox wanted a bloodbath. Vulgren, having denied Nox that bath, was determined to make rebel leader's heads roll, as appeasement to the dark lord.

Vulgren battled to control the trembling of his body as the tension he had suffered throughout his report before Nox, shed and dropped from his shoulders and his back. His stomach settled down as well, though he felt faintly nauseous. Vulgren's heart raced, not from fear, but from the thrill of victory over his dead master's monumental failures which had cast it's putrid pall over him.

Vulgren's eyes turned briefly, once again, to look at the finger which Nox had so very casually pointed at Lord Frennus, and from which a white hot bolt of Force Lightning had issued, instantly killing his master. A wave of relief washed over him, as he realized that he had survived Nox's wrath, and that he'd succeeded in proving himself to the dark lord.

Seeing all that had just transpired before her, Juuldis' eyes became introspective as she considered what she'd just witnessed in Vulgren's office.

She asked herself, _"Mercy. But from the Sith?"_

She questioned everything she'd ever heard and learned about the Sith Empire from Republic propaganda, and from her Jedi teachers.

As she watched a tiny rivulet of sweat trace down Vulgren's temple, Juuldis asked herself, _"Then is everything I've learned about the Sith a lie?"_

After recalling what Nox had said, ′_I wanted them to pay bloodily..._′

She answered herself, _"__No. Not everything was a lie.__"_

Nox got up to leave. As he walked around the desk, he asked for confirmation.

"Was there news about the deaths of the rebel governing council?"

Juuldis was brought to the here and now by Nox's inquiry.

She turned her head to find Nox's penetrating gaze on her as Vulgren replied, "The reports we are getting are preliminary, but it has been confirmed that the rebellion governing body are all dead. What is still being sorted out is that their deaths may be what has played a part in nerfing the citizenry. There are still questions as to why it has resulted in their docile and cooperative status thus far, Dark Lord."

Nox, looking pleased upon hearing this news, said to Juuldis, "You have carried out your first task completely. Well done, Apprentice."

Juuldis nodding her head gravely, replied, "Thank you, Master."

Nox said to Juuldis, forgetting for a moment that he wanted to keep it secret, "For now, I want you to assist in the study of the artifact before it's packed for shipment. Do not interact with it. You may lose your mind if you are not properly prepared. There is a ritual for that."

Nox's lie about a ritual brought Juuldis great excitement. All she cared about was that she'd just been given the chance to get close to the artifact and to study it. She craved the power and knowledge she believed were hidden within it.

Vulgren remained silent, but he too became excited on hearing that Nox had found a rare and potentially powerful artifact on Taris. Nox, sensing Vulgren's excitement, cursed himself for speaking of it in his presence. He eyed Vulgren menacingly. Vulgren subdued his excitement and bent his head, casting his eyes to the floor at his feet.

Juuldis found herself a step closer to capturing her prize. She became even more excited, as she watched Vulgren's own excitement get crushed under Nox's baleful glare. It was why she had been willing to sacrifice so many Republic Commandos, and even her own Jedi subordinates, her pupils, her friends.

When she'd learned about it from the spy's reports, she found herself unable, or unwilling, to resist the Dark Side's allure any longer. She found herself wanting to take it for herself, before Nox could get his hands on it, so that she could learn its secrets.

Juuldis had thought to herself, back then, "_If that dark lord wants it, then it's worth having._"

However, Juuldis had failed to secure the artifact.

As she lay on her back in the ruins of the spaceport, she felt that Nox had opened a path for her to follow when he'd told her, "I would have enjoyed having you as an apprentice..."

She knew right then, her only remaining chance to obtain the relic was to submit herself to him, to become his apprentice, and then wait for a chance to steal it from him.

Bowing her head, Juuldis thanked Nox in her thick Republic accent, "As you say, master. Thank you for allowing me to learn some of your secrets." As she lifted her head, she asked, "Master, may I ask, what is that thing?"

Nox was pleased that Juuldis seemed so ready to be baited. He asked her, "What do _you_ think it is?"

She replied, "I've thought it to be a repository of Dark knowledge."

Nox, nodding false confirmation, replied with a half-truth, "That is precisely what it is, but it is not in a form that is easy, nor safe, to extract."

Juuldis looked puzzled, but kept silent as she waited for Nox to explain.

Nox told her, "There is an intelligence trapped within that must be... subdued, first, before knowledge can be extracted from it. You will learn a great deal if you observe Captain Drellik and Shahn Lunn as they study the artifact. Go now, my apprentice."

Juuldis' heart raced with anticipation, as she obeyed, leaving Vulgren's office without another word. Nox was pleased with himself. He believed he had successfully set the bait for both Shahn, and now Juuldis. Now all that he needed to do was to wait for one of them to try to interact with the mind trap.

He knew there was no way either one of them could overpower Zash. He would lose one of these two, but then he would have his old master back as his apprentice.

Nox turned to face Vulgren, and with menace in his tone, ordered him, "Speak to no one of what you've heard, here."

Vulgren, just having survived the danger of losing his life for his dead master's failures, bowed deeply, answering, "I will not court death. I will forget what I've heard here, Dark Lord."

Nox then commanded, "Call up your master. I will have words with him."

Vulgren did as he was told. Darth Komo's holographic image appeared, but this time he waited to see who was calling him before deciding whether he could vent at the caller.

Seeing it was Nox who'd called, Komo said, "My dark lord, how may I serve you?"

Nox told Komo, "Vulgren has redeemed himself. His conduct of the recapture and subjugation of Imperial Settlement Number Two has started out well. I'm comfortable with leaving the details to him, but I still want you to oversee things. I'll leave it to you."

Komo's expression showed, for the first time that Vulgren had ever seen, genuine relief. His words expressing his thanks even sounded _heart-felt_.

Vulgren was flummoxed at hearing Nox's over generous words of praise of him, he was convinced Nox hated him through and through. And although he knew Darth Komo hated him, too, he knew renewed relief when Komo's reply showed a similar change in attitude towards him.

Komo said, "Then perhaps I will not mind taking Vulgren on as my apprentice after all."

Vulgren was still trying to wrap his head around the sea change in attitudes towards him, and barely heard Komo continue speaking.

Komo said warmly, to the dark lord, "I am deeply grateful for what you've done, Dark Lord. Please be assured that my gratitude does not end at the mere mention of it, but in active, concrete acts to show my sincerity."

A file had been sent to the holo-terminal addressed to Nox. Nox downloaded it to his data pad, erasing the copy on Vulgren's terminal. Then he reviewed the newly downloaded document on his datapad.

It was Darth Acina's itinerary for the rest of the year. It included the names of persons she was to meet with. There were two names on it that were very familiar to him. Those two names had come up in reports before, from his spies. Those names were attached to suspicions of treachery, but there was no proof to substantiate those suspicions.

Nox said to Komo, a dark scowl clouding his already dour countenance, "This is a very nice gift. It gives me a bit of confidence in your capabilities beyond the administration of world building. If this keeps up, you may be promoted to governor of a growing and prosperous world someday."

Those were precisely the words Komo craved to hear from Nox. Vulgren hid his shock at seeing a sincere smile that warmed Komo's eyes. Vulgren maintained his impassive facade, unsuccessfully hiding his shock from Nox. Nox could feel his deep surprise, as Vulgren listened to Darth Komo speak.

Komo said warmly to Darth Nox, "Dark Lord, may success follow in all you do. May victory over all your foes be yours, and may the glory that comes from it all shine down on your rivals, so that they may writhe in envy."

Nox said simply, "There is much work left to do. Let us get to it."

Komo bowed and said, "As my dark lord desires."

Darth Nox cut the call. Then without further word, walked out of Vulgren's office. The door slid shut, leaving Vulgren alone in his office.

Vulgren waited a few seconds, standing in front of his desk. When he was sure no one would be near his door, he jumped up and down, pumping his fists and shouting in jubilation. However, somewhere in the back of his mind he began to think something was not quite right.

Even as he celebrated, Vulgren wondered to himself, "_What is Darth Nox's and Komo's relationship? What gift did Komo give the dark lord?_"


	19. Imperial Settlement Number Two

Imperial Settlement Number Two

Just before noon, the following day after the subjugation of Imperial Settlement Number Two, Darth Nox toured the streets of the city, inspecting the troops as he went. Two hours into his tour, Darth Nox was less than a quarter block from the next check point, which he'd intended to inspect. With Darth Nox on the street, the people rushed into their apartments, and peeked out of their windows at him. They were filled with dread that their very existence was threatened by his mere presence.

* * *

If he could be there, Khem Val would have severely lectured Darth Nox for walking alone, unguarded, needlessly exposing himself to untold dangers.

He raged at Nox, thinking to himself, "_Foolish little Sith! Why do you taunt my mistress, Death, so recklessly?! Little Sith, if I could be there, I would point out your foolishness to your shame!_"

However, Khem Val could not be there to lecture Darth Nox. Instead, he stood in an office furnished to him by Darth Komo at his headquarters, helplessly unable to keep his master safe from his enemies. Watching Nox walk the streets alone, live on holo from the holo-video display in his temporary office, Khem Val furiously shook his massive head as he watched events begin to unfold.

Emerging from the shadows between two apartment buildings, a man approached Darth Nox from behind.

* * *

The man raised his voice, so that he could be heard, and demanded, "Was it you?! Was it you that killed the Taris Provisional Governing Council?!"

Nox became instantly incensed, spinning about to face the disrespectful miscreant. He was too furious to be startled.

He snapped at the man, "I am a Dark Lord of the Sith, seated on the Dark Council! You will accord me with the respect I'm due! Address me properly, worm!"

Nox had expected trouble in the form of protests or riots. He decided beforehand that, when it had come, he would have to handle such trouble carefully. Now here it had come, trouble. However, this was not at all what he had expected.

The man gave an exaggerated bow and mockingly intoned sonorously, "Oh, glorious Dark Lord on the Dark Council, was it you that killed the Taris Provisional Governing Council?"

Realizing he was being watched, Nox pulled hard on the reins of his wrath, thinking angrily to himself, "_I'm not going to let some dusty nerf herder push my buttons!_"

Instead he shook his head, angrily replying, "I wish it was me! I would have killed not only those traitors, but anyone else that got in my way! But it was not me, you insignificant worm!"

The man, seemed genuinely surprised by Nox's denial, and asked, "Then who would've done such a thing?" He stated as though it were a rule of thumb, "It bares all of the markings of a _Sith's_ work!"

Nox didn't understand why, but he could see that this man was trying very hard to throw his life away by provoking him. He took in a breath to speak, but paused to think. It occurred to him that the peaceful and benevolent manner in which Vulgren had been handling the rebels was hurtful to the Republic's propaganda against the Empire. The Empire was being perceived as benevolent in this instance.

Nox asked himself, "_Is he trying to become a martyr? Does he hope to provoke me in hopes it will induce protests and riots?_" Nox thought of the man, "_What a fool!_"

Nox decided he was not going to play this man's game. He decided to make the man _his_ fool, instead.

Darth Nox told him, much more calmly, "I'm the only Sith on this world capable of carrying out such an attack, as was carried out against your rebel government," Nox had raised a finger, for emphasis, and finished his sentence, "_without_ getting caught.

"But it wasn't me who did it. Your rebel spies have been watching my every move." Nox smiled mockingly as he added, "They're my witnesses, that it wasn't me who did it." Nox gave a low sardonic laugh as he added, "I have an alibi."

Nox let his low laughter subside, and eyed the man as he thought on how he would twist his mind.

Darth Nox decided to start by lying, to add to the confusion he had created, "I'm seeking a powerful Jedi Master. She's been operating on Taris, but of late has vanished."

Nox paused to let the implications insinuate themselves.

Then he added, in case insinuation was not enough, "I think it was _she_ who killed them. If it was, then she has gone over to the Dark Side of The Force. If this is true, then I must find her. I must train her."

The man's face twitched at Nox's assertions. Through The Force, Nox could feel the man's panic, but that panic was quickly replaced with resolve.

Darth Nox thought to himself, "_I hit a nerve._"

His earlier battles with his newest apprentice allowed him to learn a very subtle variation of the form of Force Persuasion as was employed by Juuldis against him. Nox began to use The Force to bend the man's mind to his will, and to act out the part of the fool. Nox twisted the man's rational, gradually pushing him to act with ever increasing frustration.

The man asked incredulously, "A Jedi assassinate a Republic aligned government? That doesn't make sense! I don't believe it!"

Nox could sense that the man was lying, and replied, as if pointing out a known fact, "It is widely known that Jedi are unpredictable. Much is dependent on their ability to maintain their alignment to the Light Side of The Force. They can only do this by denying themselves that which make us feeling and thinking beings with wants and needs. This is an unnatural burden which they impose on themselves. Eventually, they tip over to the Dark Side."

This much Nox believed was true, but then he added a half-truth.

"But without proper guidance, they would wreak untold violence and mayhem. This is most undesirable to the Sith Empire. It is why I seek her out." Nox added for emphasis, "Without proper training and guidance, she'll end up being far more destructive than any Sith with proper training to control his rage."

Darth Nox felt a twinge of despair from the man, thinking to himself with glee, "_I've hit another nerve!_"

Darth Nox began to enjoy feeding this confusion of half truths to the man - "_And_," Nox wondered, "_Does this man have an audience beyond the ones looking out of their windows?_" He suspected, "_This is probably getting broadcast to all of the settlements..._"

He continued with his half-truths, "Jedi that convert to the Dark Side of The Force are dangerous. They need training and guidance to bring their unfocused thirst for wanton bloodshed and destruction under control. It is the difference between Jedi, who deny the truth, and Sith, who embrace the truth of the weaknesses of fallible beings. That is that _Peace is a lie; there is only Passion_."

Nox new Sith could be just as wanton and blood thirsty as any turned Jedi, if not more so, but he didn't really care about any of that. To him, destruction and wreaking mayhem was one way to exercise power, while building and imposing order was another way to demonstrate that power.

The man challenged Nox's assertions, saying, "Jedi Master Juuldis is level headed and highly disciplined. She could not have done this thing!"

Darth Nox was shocked to hear Juuldis' name spoken from the man's lips, and he felt the man's fear, as he spoke those words.

He wondered to himself, "_Then is this man a Republic agent, one of their commandos? Or is he one of the local rebel leaders?_"

Darth Nox could not have known that the man's fear did not stem from his uttering the Jedi's name. While Nox could feel the raw emotions of others, through The Force, he could not _actually know_ what they were thinking. Context, and circumstance, combined with whatever feelings emanated from his interrogation subjects, was how he deduced what his subjects were _probably_ thinking.

Therefore, Nox incorrectly assumed that the man's fear was a result of him speaking the Jedi's name. What Nox did not know was that the man actually knew that the Jedi was really guilty of the slaughter.

Recovering from his brief surprise, Nox said truthfully, "None of my Sith have been in this settlement. If they were, and had they discovered the treason being perpetrated here, they would have done much, much more than merely kill the rebel governing council. They would have killed as many of the traitorous militia leadership, that they could find, as well.

"It would have been a bloodbath. The very select nature of the attack shows it was done by...," Nox interrupted himself to ask, "Did you say her name is _Juuldis_?" Without waiting for an answer, he finished his thought, declaring, "It was Master Juuldis' work.

"Perhaps she had finally reached her breaking point when my apprentices killed her fellow Jedi, and my troops decimated what was left of her Republic Commandos. Perhaps your rebel council had questioned her, a bit too harshly, for her failure in the deep ruins?"

Juuldis had not told Nox anything of what was said at the Tarisian Provisional Governing Council meeting. Nox had no way of knowing how close he was to the truth of what had made up Juuldis' mind.

Nox's affinity to The Force allowed him to let The Force guide his actions and words, making it seem as though he had some information on what had occurred. The reaction in the man's eyes, and the sudden increase of fear within the man, told Nox that he had struck yet at another nerve, with his last comment.

Again, Darth Nox used Force Persuasion, this time to prevent the man from interrupting him again. Although he didn't understand why, the man felt compelled to let Nox speak and thus kept silent. Though, he did think he had something to say to Nox. Yet, somehow the man believed that what the dark lord had to say could not be missed. So, he listened intently, keeping quiet.

Darth Nox said, "Sith are accused of being evil doers, because we take what we want. We destroy our enemies without mercy, etc. However, Sith are not without reason. We want to prosper and to become famous and powerful. You can't have any of that if you kill all of your faithful citizenry. We must bring the misled peoples of Imperial Settlement Number Two back to prosperity, by returning them to obedience to the rule of the Emperor and of the Dark Council. Then they, too, will know the prosperity that can be achieved as a loyal citizen of the Empire."

Without Nox's influence, the man became furious. His trap to implicate Nox in the assassination of the governing council had failed. So, he tried to provoke Nox to violence.

He shouted at Nox, "I don't believe you! You are a filthy liar!"

Nox was taken aback. The man had acted on his own, despite his efforts to control the man's thoughts.

Darth Nox became impressed with the man, thinking, "_This is a testament to his zealously passionate hatred of me!_"

However, Darth Nox let his dark energy pour out, and let his malevolent aura smother the man's being, thus silencing him, and forcing the nearby onlookers away from their windows. Nox exerted his own will with Force Persuasion again, to bend the man's will to his own purpose. Then Darth Nox decided to try a new tact.

He asked the man, "What do you fight for? Is it for prosperity?"

The man reeling under the crush of Darth Nox's malevolent aura, found it hard to breathe, but he shouted through his fear, "I fight for peace, and freedom, as well as for prosperity!"

As Nox let his malevolent aura subside, he insinuated his will on the man again with Force Persuasion. He found it comical that the man had virtually become a puppet on his hand.

Laughing inwardly at the man, Darth Nox told him, "Then you are like the Jedi who refuse to accept the truth. Even your statement, ′_I fight for peace,_' is an oxymoron."

After a moment to let that sink in, and to maintain his control of the man's thoughts, Nox asked, "Tell me. When was the last time, in your lifetime, that you saw peace?"

The man, feeling the crushing sensation diminish, found it easier to breathe again. With Nox's question, he believed _he_ had found a way to make the Empire _look bad_ to the onlookers, who'd also returned to peek out of their windows_._

He said triumphantly, "We had peace before your Empire appeared to bring war on us all!"

Nox smiled inwardly, thinking to himself, _"Who'd of thought a Sith could learn something from a Jedi?"_

That wasn't fair. Nox had learned a lot from his late wife, Ashara Zavros, and from other Jedi he had killed over the years in battle.

He shook his head slowly, as though he felt badly that the foolish man was blinded to a simple truth.

He told the man, "Even before the Empire's return, you've had conflicts with pirates. Through their surrogates, you've fought proxy wars against the Hutt Cartel. You've seen murders, robberies, kidnappings for the slave trade, on and on.

"There were planets that sought secession from the Republic, but their bid for freedom was quashed by the Republic's military power. If there was peace _before our return_, then why did the Galactic Republic have such a mighty military force?"

Although what he had said was true, Nox had also conveniently forgotten that, perhaps another reason the Galactic Republic had kept such a massive military force, was to be in readiness for the Empire's eventual return.

But Nox concluded on a point that was actually undeniable, saying, "You've never seen peace, _ever._" After a short pause, Nox concluded, "Peace is a lie."

Nox pushed the man further with Force Persuasion. The man felt himself becoming desperate to force Nox to take violent action against him.

He surprised Nox when he actually confessed, saying, "You are obviously aware that I am one of those who sided against the Empire and favored bringing the Republic back to Taris. What do you say to that?!"

To the world, watching live on holo, it seemed the man was trying very hard to make a martyr of himself by provoking Darth Nox. However, the world watching on holo became deeply surprised by the dark lord's benevolence. It ran counter to what the rebel leaders of Imperial Settlement Number Two had told them to expect of the Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Nox.

He replied to the man, "Telling me the Jedi's name was proof enough of your rebellion connections. The Empire wishes to rehabilitate the peoples of Settlement Number Two. Therefore, turn yourself in. Pay for your crimes. Then return to a productive life as a reformed Imperial citizen."

Nox could easily feel the man's rage erupt as the man watched his efforts to provoke the dark lord fail. Darth Nox used Force Persuasion again, this time, to push the man to violence. Darth Nox filled him with an overwhelming need to kill the dark lord. Then Nox turned to walk away, leaving the man behind him.

The man, so focused on his growing rage against the dark lord, forgot about his original purpose, _to provoke Darth Nox to violence._ Nox had _conveniently_ stopped, and had _conveniently_ busied his hands with his personal holo-transmitter. Then, using Force Persuasion, he filled the man's mind with Nox's _unguarded_ sabrestaff, just outside of his reach.

Instantly, the man sprung at Nox's back and snatched the weapon from Nox's utility belt. Nox dashed forward a few paces, as the man activated one end of the staff and pointed it at Nox. Darth Nox, laughing inwardly at the comedy of the situation, reached forward with his hand and used The Force to forcibly disarm the man. The sabrestaff flew back into Darth Nox's hand.

Imperial Soldiers at the nearest checkpoint, saw what the man had done and rushed to the scene, weapons drawn. He was quickly apprehended by the troops and, after a short tussle, the man found himself manacled.

Nox, feigning disappointment, shook his head sadly and said to him, "You could have lived your life enjoying the prosperity the Empire brings its citizens. However, you chose to point a weapon at a Sith lord, a Darth."

Then with real anger, Nox shouted at the man, "You have pointed a weapon at the back of a Dark Lord seated on the Dark Council! You have forfeited a life that a loyal Imperial could enjoy! Instead, I shall see to it that you rot in a prison for the rest of your days!"

Nox wanted to kill him so very badly, but he knew damned well this incident was getting broadcast all over Taris. Killing him now, even though justified in the dark lord's mind, would play into the man's aims. So the dark lord refrained.

As he deactivated and secured his sabrestaff, Nox ordered the Imperial soldiers, "Arrest this man! The charge is attempted assassination of a dark lord on the Dark Council."

Nox turned and walked off to continue his tour, as the soldiers took the man into custody.

Nox thought to himself, "_Perhaps in a few months when everyone has forgotten him, I shall have my vengeance and torment him in his cell..., if I can remember who he is._"

Nox laughed inwardly, knowing the man would rot, forgotten in prison. In fact, Darth Komo, who'd also been watching on holo, had sent a team of Sith Inquisitors, loyal to him, from Imperial Settlement Number One, to have the man tortured for information and then later, executed.


	20. Imperial Settlement Number Three

Imperial Settlement Number Three

Darth Nox returned to Vulgren's headquarters. He sat in Vulgren's chair behind his desk and listened to Vulgren's latest reports.

Vulgren spoke with hushed excitement, "Dark Lord, The Force is truly with you! There was no way you could have known what we had discovered after you had left for Settlement Number Two. Yet, you turned that man's attempts to put the blame on you for the assassination of their rebel government on its head!"

Nox began to fear that his heavy handed use of Force Persuasion was obvious to those watching on holo.

Nox said flatly, "I don't understand." Then he demanded, "Explain yourself. What are you talking about?"

Vulgren spoke with astonishment in his tone, "Dark Lord, the reason the citizenry were so docile, the reason the rebel fighters gave up without a fight, was because _they all knew!_ They knew it was the Jedi that had massacred their rebel government! Reports had already gone out to the public. That man was trying to lure you into implicating yourself!"

He went on, adding in a tone that showed his awe in how Nox had handled the situation.

"Not only did you avoid his trap, but you turned the tables against him by revealing the weaknesses of the Jedi. The Jedi are now viewed as unstable and untrustworthy."

Vulgren allowed himself a small smile from his excitement, as he continued his report.

He said, "Dark Lord, your exchange of words with that rebel pushed the rebellion to its end! The news correspondents in that city, who once spoke in a mildly critical manner of the Empire, are now making statements that depict the Imperial government as benevolent rulers, who seek to bring stability and prosperity to Taris.

"These same commentators are speaking derisively of the Republic, portraying them as hypocrites who seek to undermine that prosperity and who attempted to sow chaos where there was once stability! But as for the Jedi, the news correspondents have condemned the Jedi as blood thirsty marauders who offered false hopes to the people, only to show themselves as liars and revealing that they had nothing to offer, but war and death."

Vulgren added, "Actually, that's a direct quote from one of the more vocal commentators."

Going back to his report, he told Nox, "The people of the failed rebellion view the Jedi with suspicion and fear. Your instincts, and your connection to The Force was a marvel to behold! It was a singular pleasure to watch it unfold on holo, Dark Lord."

Nox misunderstood and asked, "So, you were able to see through my Force Persuasion technique? How were you able to see through my technique? Tell me."

Vulgren's eyes became wide with surprise as he asked in deep awe, "You controlled that man's thoughts and words to that extent, Dark Lord? My dark lord, I believed those were his own words and actions."

Vulgren cast his eyes down as he became introspective. He had no idea Force Persuasion could be used in such a manner and to such a degree. Quickly, he returned his eyes to Nox.

Vulgren became fearful as he thought to himself, "_Are my thoughts my own?_"

Darth Nox kicked himself, mentally, for inadvertently revealing a secret to another Sith.

He said to Vulgren, "You'll have to research that yourself. I will only tell you that you must take advantage of knowing what your subject is feeling at the time, and you can only do that when you can use The Force to know what your subject is feeling at any given moment." Nox then warned him, "Keep this to yourself. If it got out that I can do this, the farce that played out on holo will come undone."

Darth Nox went into contemplation and missed Vulgren's reply.

Vulgren said, "I am deeply honored to have received dark knowledge from the Dark Lord. I will keep this knowledge secret."

Nox had, himself, become introspective as he confirmed, "_So, it did play out for all of Taris to watch! I wonder why the rebels didn't cut the transmission when they saw it go wrong for them? Why did they let it play out? It hurt their cause more than anything._"

Nox speculated, doubting his own suspicions, "_Perhaps he acted alone? He had no one to cut the holo feed..._" Aloud, Nox asked Vulgren, "Did you find the ones responsible for their little ploy that blew up in their faces?"

Vulgren seemed to deflate as he replied resolutely, "My dark lord, be assured that we are on the trail to hunt down those answers and to bring in those remaining conspirators to justice."

Nox felt that meant, "_No, we're still looking._"

Darth Nox simply replied, "Very well. Be sure you actually find them."

He then decided that Vulgren deserved some small reward for his success in ending the rebellion, even if it was ended in such a bloodless manner.

He announced, "It seems that my power is no longer needed here." Nox then rewarded Vulgren's success, when he asked, "Are you able to handle the rest _yourself?_"

Vulgren was astonished that Darth Nox was actually going to leave him in charge.

Bowing his head reverently, Vulgren replied, "You have handed me a gift by rooting out our problems. I have learned a great deal from watching you work, Dark Lord. I assure you, I will handle the rest to your satisfaction."

Nox nodded, satisfied with Vulgren's reply. Then he spoke bluntly, "I hope that _when_ I call for it, you will give _me_ your loyalty."

Vulgren's eyes widened as his mouth dropped open. He shut his mouth again, as he recovered his composure. It suddenly all made sense to him. Vulgren, who'd been standing in front of his own desk, walked around to the back of it and knelt before Nox.

With his head bowed, he declared to Nox, "It was you, Dark Lord, that brought Taris firmly into the bosom of the Empire, and _not_ Darth Acina!"

Nox's and Komo's relationship finally hit him like a ton of bricks. Vulgren realized that they meant to wrest Taris from Acina's hands and put the planet firmly in Nox's grip!

Vulgren declared, "I will follow my lord, Darth Komo, in following you, my Dark Lord of The Sith. When the time comes, I will be ready to do what is required of you. My life for yours, Darth Nox, Dark Lord of the Sith!"

Vulgren, still kneeling, took a chance to look up into Nox's face. Nox was smiling a predator's smile.

Nox thought to himself, "_Vulgren is no idiot. He figured it out fast!_" Aloud, he said, "Then I will leave the planet in Darth Komo's hands, and I will leave the Western Sector in your hands."

Vulgren's smile was heartfelt. He finally understood that Komo's _seemingly_ genuine smile and his _seemingly_ heartfelt words, towards Darth Nox, were not _seemingly anything_. They were _in fact_, genuine and heartfelt.

Vulgren felt the glorious satisfaction that came with the great rewards for a difficult task completed, and for surviving the deadly wrath of a Dark Lord as powerful as Darth Nox. His only worry was that Acina would not sit idle.

"_When she finds out..._"

Vulgren did not need to finish that thought. He already knew Nox could easily handle her, but he knew that he and Darth Komo would have to watch their backs from this day onward. He resolved to be ready for Acina's assassins.

Aloud, Vulgren answered Nox, saying, "Your confidence in me is a reward in itself, my dark lord. I am truly grateful for your trust."

Darth Nox cautioned Vulgren, "Don't let our victories here go to waste. Build on our successes, and bring stability back to the Western Sector and to Taris."

He got up without further words and left Vulgren's office.

Vulgren stood again and answered his new master, "As you say, Dark Lord."

But Nox was already out of his office. He wondered to himself how Acina was going to react when the move to take Taris from her was made, but at that moment Vulgren realized Taris already belonged to Darth Nox. He only needed to tell the rest of the Dark Council about it.


	21. Goodbye To Taris

Goodbye To Taris

Just a little over two weeks later, Nox sat in the same chair he'd sat in when he'd first arrived to Komo's office. Komo sat in the same chair across from Nox. The View of the forest beyond the wall was the same, but Nox now knew what had been lurking within the dense trees and brush of the forest.

As he looked out the window, Darth Nox started the conversation with Darth Komo, saying, "Now that your rebellion has been quashed before it could spiral out of control, you can return your attention to reclaiming the rest of this world. You only have pirates and Rakghouls to deal with."

Nox turned his head to face Komo.

Komo replied humbly, gratitude expressed in his tone, "It is all because of your intervention, Dark Lord." Then, in a tone that said he was ready to carryout Nox's first commands as his new master, he added, "And now for my part. Is there anything my dark lord wishes of me? What are my instructions, Dark Lord?"

Nox simply replied, "Just be ready. When I need you, I will tell you your part."

Komo, bowing his head, vowed solemnly, "I shall be ready, Dark Lord. I look forward to the day that you smash Darth Acina's plans to discredit you, and I look to the day you have formalized your dominion over Taris before the Dark Council."

Nox did not acknowledge Komo's vow. He simply moved on, asking him, "Have you learned anything else about her plans?"

Darth Komo was not offended. He knew it was too soon for Darth Nox to fully trust him. Just sitting across the small table from Nox and remaining alive was all he could have hoped for.

Instead, he smiled, and with glee answered his new master, announcing, "Darth Acina has just made her first blunder and has not yet realized this. She has ordered me to minimize your part in all of this, and to take most of the credit for myself, Dark Lord."

Komo, presented Nox with a data pad.

Khem Val was too far from where the two sat to intervene. It just happened too quickly for Khem Val to act. Nox had quickly accepted the device from Komo before Khem could warn his master. Khem watched silently, apprehensively, as Nox read it's contents.

However, Khem's worst fears diminished with each passing moment. When it became apparent that nothing untoward would befall his master, Khem Val breathed a sigh of relief. He then shook his massive head disapprovingly at his master's carelessness.

As Nox read the contents of the datapad, the corner of Nox's lip curled slightly. Komo's smile widened, almost imperceptibly, on seeing Nox's faint sneer. Nox looked up after he'd finished reading the datapad's contents. He'd found that they were orders from Acina to Komo, and it had her official seal on them.

From the datapad, Nox learned two things. The first thing was that Komo was firmly in his camp. The second was that he now had some real ammunition to use against Acina before the Dark Council in their upcoming meeting.

Nox ordered Komo, "I want you to increase the rate at which you clear out the wreckage, detoxify the land, and build new settlements. I want a detailed report itemizing your annual budget. If I can get you more capital for the work that needs to be done here, then I will make it available to you."

Nox thought about doing more to make his mark on Taris, to show it was now a part of his dominion.

He added after a small pause, "Also, I want you to give proper names to these towns. I want to show the Dark Council a direct correlation of your improved successes with the actions I took here."

Komo answered confidently, "That will be easy to accomplish, Dark Lord, because the delays and sabotage have stopped, again thanks to your actions on Taris. I will be sure to have a detailed budget report sent to you, as you have decreed."

Nox got up to leave. Komo stood as well.

Nox said in reply, "Good. Then I'll take my leave. Be ready to testify to the Dark Council about this and...," waving the datapad at Komo, continued, "... other illegal acts against the Dark Council which she has perpetrated."

Komo bowing as deeply, as his corpulent form would allow, declared, "I await your call to testify, Dark Lord."

Nox nodded, then said, "You need not see me out. I'll see myself out."

He walked out of Komo's office, Khem Val following behind.

Outside of Komo's office, Nox told Khem, "Continue to protect Darth Komo. I will send Sith to relieve you."

Khem Val counseled his master, saying, "This man has already killed all of his enemies and the spies of Acina. He is not weak. Acina will not waste strong assassins on him. She will send them against you." Frustration showed in Khem Val's tone, as he added, "As strong as you are, my master, you are foolish. You expose yourself too much to your enemies. I must watch your back."

Darth Nox did not like being called foolish, but this was Khem Val speaking. Khem Val feared nothing, and spoke his mind accordingly. He knew that telling Khem Val about his tone towards him would be a fruitless endeavor. Nox simply nodded, and accepted Khem Val's council.

Darth Nox said simply, "Then let's go, Khem."

As Darth Nox walked the corridors of Darth Komo's headquarters, with Khem Val following, he thought on what he'd read on the datapad. He couldn't believe that she had actually ordered Komo to assassinate him in a written order. And then ordered him, again in writing, to lie to the Dark Council that it was Acina, albeit through Darth Komo - and not Nox, who'd accomplished great things on Taris.

Nox thought, incredulously, "_AND she put her official seal on it!_" He wondered to himself, _"Is she really this clumsy? Or is this a trap?"_

He decided that he needed to have the contents of the datapad analyzed, including its coded seal, in order to ensure these were not faked. He decided to have his spies conduct an inspection of the contents of the datapad. The more he thought about it, the more he started to doubt the authenticity of the written communications.

Darth Nox thought to himself, _"If it is authentic, then Acina is a buffoon and an idiot. If so, then how could the Emperor's Hand have chosen her as someone qualified to sit on the Dark Council?"_

Many on the Dark Council, including Nox, erroneously believed that because the Emperor's Hand had chosen her to guard the Emperor's treasures, that it was also the Emperor's will that she have a seat on the Dark Council.

Nox thought more on the matter, "_If it's not authentic, then either Komo is setting me up for embarrassment in the Dark Council Chambers, or Komo himself is being duped and is being used to embarrass me..._"

Nox thought of another scenario.

_"What if it is someone close to Acina's inner circle who'd sent the written communications, expressing her wishes, but is completely mishandling the matter...?"_ Nox's mind swam with possibilities. He breathed out in frustration, _"__Sith politics: Fun and games!_"


	22. Ilum Space Station

Ilum Space Station

Just a little over three weeks had gone since Darth Nox left the Ilum space station on a military transport for Taris. Nox's return to the space station was quite eventful, as far as the station commander was concerned. The captain commanding the transport that had brought the dark lord back did not warn him in advance that Darth Nox was coming. The station had only been advised at the last possible moment, when the ship's executive officer requested permission to dock.

Admiral Traista Jeng worked his staff feverishly to hastily assemble a proper welcoming formation at the space dock as the transport made its final approach to land. Admiral Jeng had only managed to get his top staff and some of their subordinate officers to show up to form the honor guard. They were still straightening out their uniforms when the ramp dropped and the inner hatch slid open.

A hulking green beast in heavy armor and a thin man in military officer's uniform came down the ramp. At the bottom of the ramp, they looked the landing bay over, then stepped to either side of the ramp. As if that were the cue, down the ramp came Darth Nox, trailed by two other Sith whom one could only assume to be his apprentices. Well behind the Sith lords, a droid descended the ramp. It stopped in between the beast and the uniformed man at the bottom of the ramp.

Darth Nox and his two apprentices approached the officers in formation and came to a stop before Admiral Jeng and his executive officer. The two were already at attention when the admiral stomped his boot and commanded crisply, "Salute!" The admiral and his staff all saluted. The admiral then snapped out, "End salute!" The men and women all returned to attention.

Admiral Jeng spoke. My august dark lord, Darth Nox, you honor us all with your presence aboard this station. Unfortunately, I did not know you were coming until the very last moment. Please forgive our paltry welcome."

Nox simply told him, "I told the transport commander not to advise you of my arrival until the very last moment." Before Admiral Jeng could say anything to that, Nox added, "I'd forgotten which docking bay my ship is in." Then he commanded, "Take me to it."

Nox's expression darkened as he saw the look of dismay on Admiral Jeng's face and watched the look of growing dread on Jeng's executive officer's face. However, Darth Nox remained silent, so as to hear what the admiral might say.

Admiral Jeng asked, "Dark Lord, you were not informed?"

Nox snapped testily, "Just get to the point!"

Admiral Jeng spoke crisply, as he instantly reported, "Your servant, whom you left to oversee the repairs of your ship, decided to have your ship transported to Tandankin Ship Yards. Your ship is not here, Dark Lord."

Nox felt his anger build as he thought to himself of Andronikos, _"He should have told me!"_ Nox, nearing the end of his patience, simply demanded, "Make arrangements for me and my staff to stay a few days. Unload my luggage and take it to my suites. You will provide heavy security for the suites, and arrange for a heavy security detail to guard my luggage."

For once, Admiral Traista Jeng felt he had something good to say to the Dark Lord of The Sith.

He replied, "Although it was at the last moment that we learned of your coming, I have made arrangements for a large suite of rooms for you and your staff, my dark lord. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to them."

With his anger dissipating, Nox simply ordered, "Lead on, then."

Before Admiral Jeng turned to personally lead Darth Nox and his entourage to the suite of rooms, he told his executive officer, "See to bringing the Dark Lord's belongings to his suite of rooms, and then set up security."

He then said to one of the twelve rulers of the Sith Empire, "This way, Dark Lord."

After a short distance, Nox thought the stately pace Admiral Jeng had set was too slow.

He ordered, "Admiral, pick up the pace. I want to get there soon, and I do not want a tour."

Admiral Jeng instantly picked up the pace as he replied, "As you desire, Dark Lord."

A short time later, after a brisk walk through part of the station, Admiral Jeng led Darth Nox to his suite of rooms.

He'd told the dark lord, "I hope you find these accommodations, at the very least, to be adequate, Dark Lord."

Brusquely, Nox commanded, "Leave me, and see to it your subordinate doesn't bungle his task of bringing my things and setting up the security, here."

Admiral Jeng bowed and said, "As my dark lord wishes." Straightening to attention, Admiral Jeng turned about smartly and marched out of Nox's presence.

Khem Val and Captain Talos Drellik had already entered the suite to look for traps and spying devices.

Nox turned to his apprentices and told them, "Find rooms to stay in, and look around for hidden assassins."

His two apprentices bowed to him, and replied in unison, "Yes, Master."

They then left his side to enter the suite. Darth Nox didn't say anything, but he took note that Shahn Lunn, despite being senior to Juuldis, seemed to let Juuldis take the lead. He felt disgust at her weakness, and instantly decided that he would be sure to arrange it so that she would become Zash's new vessel.

Turning to look at his ship droid, Nox ordered 2V-R8, "Search the suite for droids of any kind and instruct them to leave these premises and to report to their maintenance centers."

2V-R8 replied to its master, "As you wish, Master."

Then off it went.

Khem Val finally returned to Nox, some time later, and told him, "Master, I have found your quarters."

He then turned to lead Nox through the sliding door and down a long corridor with a few doors leading to rooms on either side of it. Khem Val led Nox through a door at a T intersection at the end of the corridor. The door slid open revealing another, shorter, corridor. This corridor had no doors on either side of it. It terminated with a sliding door at the end of it.

The door slid open, revealing a short hallway leading to an expansive sitting room with two very large and heavy oval banquet tables. Khem Val led Nox to the right of the expansive room, and to another sliding door. The door slid open, revealing the stateliest sitting room in the suite.

Khem Val said to Nox, "These are the best rooms here, my master." He pointed at a door at one end of the luxurious sitting room and said, "There is the sleeping chamber." Pointing at the door at the opposite end of the room, he said, "There is the study." Then turning to face Nox, he announced, "I will see to it that the security is properly set, Master."

Nox nodded acknowledgment of Khem Val's report, and then turned to inspect his new quarters as the Dashade took his leave.

Inspecting his temporary suites did not distract him from what increasingly rankled him. Darth Nox had decided that he was most annoyed at Andronikos' decision to move his ship without telling him anything at all about it.

Darth Nox was determined, as he spoke testily to himself, "_I will have words with that pirate!_"


	23. Carbonite, Betrayal, and Vengeance

Carbonite, Betrayal, and Vengeance

Darth Nox sat at his desk in his study, in his suite of rooms and offices aboard the space dock. He was plotting his next move against Acina as he waited for two incoming holo calls. He sat, staring at the far wall on which was mounted a carbonite slab with its prisoner encased within.

With carbon gray arms, outstretched as though to ward off an attack, her carbon gray face was contorted in abject terror and excruciating pain. With eyes wide open, her mouth agape in a silent scream, and her back arched from shear agony, Millie Kine was forever frozen in a state of hell and damnation.

* * *

On the second level of his apartments on the hilltop overlooking Settlement Number Three, Darth Nox had used The Force to explosively push the luxurious furnishings to the far end of the expansive living room. The permaglass wall was blown out, with furniture tumbling out onto the patio deck along with the shards of the broken blue tinted glass wall. He had to rein in his malign aura, so that the soldiers could quickly bring in and set up the carbonite freezing apparatus in the space Nox had cleared for them.

Millie Kine had been stripped of her Imperial Army uniform, and made to dress in the regalia of a prisoner, which included the wearing of a restraining collar. She had been ushered in to his apartment by the soldiers. She stood, weeping silently, watching the soldiers as they assembled and tested the carbonite freezing unit.

The soldiers left the restraining collar controls with the dark lord's droid, and quickly left Nox's apartments, leaving her alone with the dark lord. Millie was unable to flee, because the restraining collar denied her control of her own body.

Darth Nox unhurriedly approached Millie Kine. He gave a crooked smile when Millie gave out an involuntary moan, as her weeping intensified. She knew pain was coming.

Reaching his hands towards her neck, he told her, "We will not be needing this restraining collar."

Nox removed the collar. Millie instantly ducked under his arms and bolted for the patio far behind the dark lord. Nox laughed as he spun about and reached for her with his hand and, using The Force, pulled her back flying towards him. He flicked his outstretched hand upwards, just a little bit, and Millie went crashing into the ceiling. He let gravity pull her down, and she fell, crashing onto the floor. Nox smiled in vicious satisfaction, when he saw that Millie had stained the white ceiling with her blood.

Darth Nox had been tormenting her for over an hour. At times, he zapped her with Force Lightning, at low enough voltages so that he would not kill her, yet causing her terrible pain. At other times, he used The Force to slam her small frame against the white ceiling, the white walls, and the polished, dark blue metal plated floor of his second level apartment. Millie left her blood smeared on whatever surface she had been slammed into.

Over time, Millie's shrieks of sharp agony became low moans of dulled pain as she began to succumb to exhaustion and intermittent blackouts. She was battered, bruised, scorched with electrical burns, and covered in her own blood. Darth Nox wanted to do something different and had an epiphany. He immediately decided to experiment on Millie Kine's mind.

He used a variant of the Force Persuasion technique that he'd learned from Juuldis. He introduced a slight modification of what he had used against _that man_ in Imperial Settlement Number Two. Darth Nox had filled her mind with horrifying illusions of her body getting ripped apart or burnt to a crisp.

Darth Nox laughed tauntingly, as he listened to Millie Kine's painful screams and to her pitiful cries for a quick death. To Millie, her imaginary torment, was quite real.

Nox, laughing, told Millie, "Don't worry, I'll kill you when this becomes tiresome for me!"

Nox was pleased with the results.

He said to Millie Kine, "Thank you for helping with my experiment. It was a resounding success!" He informed her, "This technique will serve well for interrogations. Again, you have my thanks."

Nox laughed at his own wit. However, Millie Kine was too exhausted and too delirious to understand what the dark lord had said to her. Darth Nox didn't give her a chance to recover, as he decided to get creative. He tried giving her the very realistic illusion of getting eaten alive, but Nox had exaggerated Khem Val's size for this illusion.

Millie watched in abject terror, as Khem Val grasped her upper torso with one enormous clawed hand, and her legs with his other hand. Her body wriggled, and twisted on the smooth metal floor as she, in her mind's eye, tried to escape Khem Val's giant, grasping, clawed hands. Despite her best efforts to break free from his illusory grip, she could not.

Instead she watched, helpless, as Khem Val lifted her struggling body to his cavernous maw. She watched, and then felt the horrific agony of the Dashade biting down into her right side and her right hip, in a single bite. Millie Kine felt the Dashade's teeth ripping through her flesh and heard her bones crunching in his masticating jaws.

Nox savored her screams of hellish agony and shear terror, and laughed at her pleas to be swiftly killed throughout the entire time that he had his way with her mind. However, Millie's reaction to the illusion of being consumed by Khem Val was priceless to him. The terror expressed on her face, her ruined voice letting out a hoarse scream, and the way she set her arms, as though to deflect another attack, the way her back unnaturally over arched as she lay face up on the floor was the ultimate expression of terror and agony.

Darth Nox wanted to save that moment.

He ordered his droid, who'd been waiting the entire time for his master's signal, "R8, now!"

The ship droid instantly and efficiently froze her with the portable, hand held carbonite freezer. Then, using the equipment the soldiers had brought from the base, 2V-R8 had set her in a carbonite slab. 2V-R8 activated the life support functions, effecting the final act of Darth Nox's cruelty towards Millie Kine. 

Millie Kine had brought him great humiliation, which had also sent him into a terrible rage because of the ease with which she had deceived him, but Darth Nox had made her pay.

* * *

Sitting at his desk in the study and looking at Millie Kine's horrid frozen form, Darth Nox wondered when he would have the time to have her thawed out from her carbonite prison, so that he could torment her anew. Then he realized that he rather liked seeing her in that moment of utter terror and agony. He didn't want to lose that image of her, forever captured in carbonite.

He thought perversely to himself, "_She makes an excellent piece of art!_" 

He couldn't understand the squeamishness of his apprentices when he'd told them of how he'd exacted his vengeance on Millie Kine. He chalked up their _sensitivity_ as weaknesses that had to be rooted out of them. Even so, Nox thought fleetingly that he was probably becoming deranged. He forcefully pushed that thought away from his consciousness.

Darth Nox had no idea how much he was feared and loathed as a depraved and monstrous tormentor of anyone who'd simply irritated him. He believed his servants and minions cringed and cowered around him simply out of fear of his great power, and his willingness to use that power to get what he wanted. The dark lord didn't think that his sadistic manner of dealing with the failures and offenses of his servants, minions, and slaves was really that out of the ordinary, but really, it was.

* * *

Nox forced his mind to the here and now. He didn't want to waste any more time. He'd already been at the space dock for two days and had yet to make another move against Acina. Darth Acina was his rival, but had now also become his enemy on the Dark Council when it was revealed it was she who had attempted to subvert his authority within his power base.

His first move was to take Taris from her when he brought Komo into his service. He made his second move while in transit from Taris to the Ilum orbital space dock. He'd sent electronic text letters to the other Dark Councilors, telling them of what he'd done and why.

Darth Nox wrote, "_I have taken the extraordinary step of taking dominion of the rule of a planet from a fellow Dark Councilor, Darth Acina. Her rank negligence, and patently inept leadership over her administration of Taris has nearly brought humiliation and shame to the Sith Empire. Her abject failures on Taris has fomented rebellion, and has given the Galactic Republic a very real opportunity to greatly humiliate the Sith Empire.___

"_We were nearly subjected to the very same humiliating failures which the Galactic Republic suffered only a few years ago, when we sabotaged their efforts to resettle Taris. By stepping in, I have removed the Galactic Republic threat on Taris, killed two Jedi masters, and captured and turned a third Jedi master, who now serves me. I have also quashed the rebellion and have returned order to Taris.___

"_It is obvious that Acina is ill equipped to handle Taris. So, I have moved to administer this world for the glory of the Emperor and the Sith Empire. I request this item be included in the upcoming Council meeting, so that my administration of Taris may be formalized by the Dark Council._"

In response to Nox's letter, Darth Marr, the de facto head of the Dark Council, moved to add it as an item on the agenda to be discussed in the Dark Council chambers for the upcoming meeting. The move was seconded by Darth Ravage. The stage was now set to formalize his takeover of Taris from Acina and to discredit her before the Dark Council.

In Darth Marr's response, he'd also advised Darth Nox to prepare to answer questions of the Dark Council regarding his own fitness to remain seated on the Dark Council. Darth Acina had made her move, too. Nox nodded in satisfaction, however, because her accusations were made _after_ Nox's letters were sent and received. The timing of her own accusations made it appear as though it were a retaliatory response, rather than the beginnings of a legitimate investigation.

Nox thought to himself, "_The Force is with me, in this matter._"

Also while in transit to Ilum orbital station, Nox had assigned three powerful Sith within his powerbase to be Darth Komo's bodyguards on Taris. They moved quickly, and were presently in transit to Taris with their respective apprentices.

Nox trusted them to perform their task well. For starters, none of them were fans of Lord Harkun, Nox's Overseer from his academy days, whose life Nox had spared despite his deep desire to do otherwise. Harkun was a staunch traditionalist who hated aliens, that is, anyone who was not Human.

These three Sith bodyguards were _aliens_, that is, _not Human_. Nox knew he could count on them to hate Harkun and not be influenced by his rebellion.

A little over a few years before, when Nox was a Lord of The Sith, known as Kallig, he'd spared Harkun's life despite Harkun's disrespect towards him. He'd gone to the academy on Korriban to pick up his graduated apprentice, Xalek. At that time, Harkun spoke disrespectfully towards him, even calling him _slave_.

Nox had started his Sith training under Harkun as a newly freed slave. When Darth Nox was a mere acolyte attending the Sith Academy on Korriban, Harkun had called him, _'slave'_, instead of by his given name, _Kallig_. Harkun had claimed that it was a mistake prompted by old habits, but Nox could easily tell, back then, that Harkun's apology was patently insincere. 

However, Nox stayed his hand, reasoning, "_If Harkun can turn out Sith as potent as I, and as capable as my new apprentice, then he can still be of use to the Empire._"

His chosen bodyguards, for Darth Komo, were no friends of Darth Achelon, either. Darth Nox rescued Achelon during a space battle against Republic naval forces. Darth Achelon owed Nox his life.

Darth Achelon had pledged his loyalty to Nox after he, known then as _Kallig, Lord of The Sith_, had defeated Darth Thanaton and had then ascended to the Dark Council with his new title and name, _Darth Nox_. However, Darth Achelon was another anti-alien traditionalist, and he made his disdain for aliens, Sith or not, quite well known.

Darth Nox thought disgustedly, "_Who needs to show gratitude for having one's life spared, or saved?"_

He shook his head in disgust, but decided it was his own fault for expecting absolute fealty from his followers. To be sure, he had always expected his followers to, one day, try to kill him in order to ascend to the Dark Council. It was the way of things among the Sith. However, Nox was outraged at the outright betrayal to his rival and enemy on the Dark Council, Acina.

"Fools!" He exclaimed angrily, alone in his suite.

Darth Achelon and Lord Harkun were the two names that Nox had read on Darth Acina's itinerary of people with whom she was to meet. Darth Komo had forwarded Nox a copy of her itinerary during his holo conference with him in Vulgren's office, just after Vulgren bloodlessly put down the rebellion with General Yennis' forces.

Nox ranted to no one, "What reward do they expect Acina will give them?! She'll reward their betrayal, to me, with death! I know I would…"

Darth Komo's and Vulgren's betrayal of Acina came to Nox's mind. The two abandoned Acina in favor of following Nox.

Nox asked himself, "_Would I kill those two? They could be useful to me in the long run…_" Nox surprised himself and wondered, "_Am I getting soft, or am I just being practical?_"

* * *

Thinking of practicality reminded him of Ashara. Ashara's memory flooded his mind. She'd always moderated his decisions with her counsel.

For the sake of practicality and efficiency, Lord Ashara made many modifications to his policies after convincing him of the benefits. He could not argue with her reasoning. She always kept his goals in mind and achieved much for him.

She was his greatest asset, his most trustworthy counselor, and his most ardent follower. She believed in him, and wanted his influence to supersede that of Darth Marr over the Dark Council.

Nox's rage began to build the more he thought about his _mistake_. His grief began to grow as well. He missed her terribly, and guilt began to assail him.

Suddenly, Nox jumped to his feet and onto his desk. Drawing and igniting his sabrestaff, he used The Force to sense his surroundings. After a while, Nox extinguished his sabrestaff, returning it to his utility belt.

He'd thought it was Juuldis playing Jedi mind tricks on him again. He was going to kill her for it, but after a pause, he had realized those were really his own feelings. Nox allowed himself to grieve as he dropped back down onto the floor and sank back into is chair.

If a common Imperial were to see his tears, he would likely think of Nox, "_I didn't know he could feel anything but hate and anger!"_

If he were wise, he'd never speak of Nox's tears to anyone – _ever._

If it were a lesser Sith that had seen this, he'd think of Nox, "_He's weak!"_

And that Sith would be fatally mistaken.

However, some of the most powerful Sith throughout Imperial history knew that there was more to passion than just explosive fury and burning hatred. Love led to all kinds of passionate emotions. Like those powerful Sith, Nox believed, if properly channeled and directed, love could also lead to even greater passions. He believed that the greater the love became, then the greater the joy, the greater the sorrow, the greater the hatred, and thus the greater the wellspring of power from the Dark Side of The Force.

Every Sith knew of the great lengths Darth Malgus had gone to in order to obtain greater power in The Force. He had murdered his long time companion and lover, a female Twi'lek he'd obtained as a slave but had fallen in love with. He killed her so that the emotions he would experience would fuel his Dark Side power. He did it _just to obtain more power_ from the Dark Side of The Force!

It had worked out quite well for Malgus, until the end. He had nearly reached the pinnacle of power within the Sith hierarchy, but had overreached, and attempted to usurp the Emperor's title and throne. Darth Malgus had miscalculated, and had lost everything.

Darth Nox had led a powerful strike team of Sith to bring Malgus down. Nox remembered how great Malgus' control of The Dark Side of The Force had been. He remembered being awed by the usurper's immense power. Malgus had killed half his team of six, before he had finally been felled.

However, Nox certainly did not kill Ashara to obtain more power. Her death was purely accidental. It was unintended.

Ashara was an expert saber duelist. She was expert enough to keep up with Nox during their sparring matches. Nox didn't have to hold back with her, and he didn't.

She even sparred with Xalek to show him a technique or two, and to put him in his place. Even Khem Val had grudgingly held Ashara's power above reproach. Khem Val thought her a worthy mate for his master.

Somehow however, in his state of rage, Nox had gotten through her defenses and had struck her down. It was unexpected, but he did not excuse himself. Nox accepted full responsibility for what he'd done.

Thus, his hatred and his fury, directed at himself for what he'd done, propelled his command of the Dark Side of The Force to heights he had never known before. Ever since that terrible day on his ship, Nox had grown even stronger, unlocking even greater power in the black abyss of the Dark Side of The Force. However, Nox regretted the price he had paid for that power, and that regret nurtured his guilt, his grief, and his hatred - all of it directed at himself and fueling his Dark Side power.

It was a seemingly endless cycle: guilt, self hatred, dark power, guilt, self hatred, dark power. He hated himself for using his late wife's demise as a source of dark power. The question his own sanity returned to his thoughts, unbidden.

"_Am I becoming deranged?_"

* * *

A chime sounded from his desk top holo transmitter, bringing the dark lord out of his meditations in darkness and hatred.

It was 2V-R8 advising him, "Master, Lord Kirnon is returning your call."

More than a few years back, when Nox was the apprentice of Zash, Lord of The Sith, Kirnon, and another Sith lord, investigated the murder of Darth Skotia, Lord Zash's rival. Kirnon questioned Nox about Zash's methodology for killing Skotia even though she was a couple of kilometers away at a party.

Nox flatly told him, "I killed Skotia."

Kirnon didn't believe him. Later though, after Nox had defeated Darth Thanaton and had ascended to the Dark Council, Lord Kirnon began to realize that perhaps Nox had indeed been telling him the truth about killing Darth Skotia.

Darth Nox ordered 2V-R8, "Put the call through."

Lord Kirnon's holographic image appeared a few centimeters above Nox's desk. Kirnon's image was already kneeling, his head bowed.

Lord Kirnon said, "My dark lord, Darth Nox, I am deeply honored to be called on by you. How may I be of service?"

Nox got straight to the point, telling his servant, "Though you've kept your head down and have moved quietly in the shadows, I know of your power, Kirnon, Lord of The Sith."

Kirnon became nervous. Usually, when a Sith superior prefaced any remarks with observations of their minions' skulking about, it was to accuse them of betrayal. However, Nox's next remarks brought him both relief and surprise.

Nox told him, "I think you are cunning enough, strong enough for this task."

After a short pause to be sure Kirnon was listening, the dark lord told him his assignment.

"I want you to kill Darth Achelon. He has betrayed me to Darth Acina. He has been plotting against me, chipping away at my authority within my powerbase at Acina's behest. I want him dead before the end of this week."

Shocked as he was at Nox's orders, he also saw opportunity and asked, "And what will be my reward, Dark Lord?"

Nox nodded approval of Kirnon's interest in rewards, and replied, "Destroy Achelon and his apprentices. Then subdue his followers in my name, and I shall elevate you to the title, _Darth. Then I shall_ give you his powerbase to add to your own. Then you shall answer to no one, but me."

Lord Kirnon smiled as he replied, "My dark lord's will be done. I shall bring death to those who thought to betray you, and fear to those who remained silent while betrayal played out around them. They shall all remember that Darth Nox is _The Dark Lord of The Sith_, and that betraying you is the same as pointing a lightsaber to one's own temple and igniting it."

Nox, stirred by Kirnon's declaration, commanded with fervency, "Then _go_, Lord Kirnon!"

He cut the transmission abruptly and leaned back in his chair as his eyes roamed the office. His eyes eventually settled onto the gray slab of carbonite on the far wall of his office. He waited for 2V-R8 to announce the next call when it came in. Nox was going to put an end to Lord Harkun, whom Nox had not only spared, but whom he had elevated from _Overseer,_ to _Lord of the Sith_.

Nox thought furiously of Harkun, "_Ungrateful k'lor'slug!_"

* * *

Darth Nox had been working on another set of proposals when 2V-R8 finally signaled again, via the desk top holo transmitter, advising him that his next caller was waiting. Nox saved his work, and blanked the screen.

He ordered his droid, "Put it through."

The image of a heavily armored and helmeted Mandalorian bounty hunter appeared. Nox was put off by the fact that the hunter hid behind the helmet.

Nox commanded, "Remove your helm. I want to be sure of to whom I'm speaking."

The hunter complied, and removed the helmet.

Nox nodded his satisfaction as he beheld the face of a female Chiss. The blue/grey monochrome holo image did not depict her cobalt blue skin accurately, her deep red eyes looked blue/grey, and her jet black hair, cut shoulder length, looked dark blue instead. However, the jagged scar on her left cheek told him it was _his_ bounty hunter.

Nox kept her on retainer and had used her services many times in the past, each time with satisfaction delivered. She was expensive! The exorbitant prices she demanded ensured that she got only the most outrageously difficult and dangerous jobs, which she could then charge a king's ransom for. However, Nox was one of those that fervently believed her services were well worth the costs.

She asked her prospective client, "Who do you need dead, and how much is it worth to you – uh, _Dark Lord?_"

Nox hid his displeasure at her lack of respect for his station, but at least she respected his power. She remembered to address him as Dark Lord_,_ _this time_. The scar on her left cheek was his reminder to her, to remember at least _that much_.

Nox thought disapprovingly of her, "_She is willful!_" But he admitted to himself, "_She is useful, however._"

Aloud, Nox told her the job he wanted done.

"I want you to bring in one of my servants – _alive_."

The bounty hunter's cold and hardened business facade took on a quizzical and humorous look as she asked, grinning, "Wouldn't it be cheaper to just order him to report to you? He's your servant, right? Wouldn't he just do what he was told and show up?"

Nox clapped his hands together and laughed with real mirth.

He said, laughing, "Yes, he would!" His laughter ended as he added, "but that's not what I want."

Nox's humor evaporated with his smile and coldness returned to his facade as he told her, "I want him humiliated. I want him roughed up and shaken. I want everyone to see how pathetically weak he is, as his master - _Darth Nox_, drags him kicking and screaming before his peers."

Nox paused to regard the bounty hunter. Her name was Yehw'reh'nomai. Her _core name_ was _Wrehn._

Wrehn, wanting to confirm Nox's intent, said, "You want to send a message to everyone watching and put him in his place at the same time."

Nox's smile returned, but it failed to reach his eyes, as he confirmed, "That's why I pay you the big credits. Remember, however. I want him alive."

The bounty hunter asked, "Is it O.K. to use carbonite freezing? Carbonite freezing is real useful for bringing bounties in alive."

What she'd said was true, so long as the freezing process didn't wind up killing the bounty, instead. This happened, sometimes.

Nox understood this, but he nodded and replied, "I insist! Use carbonite freezing!" He laughed as he suggested, "Freeze him in an embarrassing pose."

Wrehn chortled at the thought of posing an unconscious Sith lord in a funny posture and then freezing him in carbonite. Wrehn, however, was a business woman.

She dismissed the silly notion from her mind, and keeping to the business at hand, asked her prospective client, "Where is he?"

Nox pressed a button. Harkun's image, as well as his location and other particulars were provided to Wrehn in a data upload to her terminal. It included a writ, granting her permission to enter the academy grounds to complete her task, and a holographically recorded message for Harkun. Wrehn slowly shook her head side to side and whistled.

She asked, "You sure you want me going to Korriban and entering the academy?"

Nox nodded his head and instructed Wrehn, "At the bottom of the ramp of the academy, issue your challenge to Harkun. Taunt and insult him until he comes out. Then wipe the floor with him before you freeze him. Be certain everyone knows _I hired you_."

Wrehn unhesitatingly named her price, "2,000,000 credits. 250,000 up front, to cover initial expenses."

Nox unhesitatingly agreed, "Deal."

Upon reaching an agreement with her client, Wren remotely opened an anonymous, numbered bank account on Nar Shaddaa, specifically for this business transaction with her client, Darth Nox. Upon receiving the account number she had set up, Nox immediately went about transferring 250,000 credits into it.

When she saw her account become 250,000 credits richer, Wrehn said, smiling, "One, ′_Lord Harkun_,′ frozen in carbonite in an embarrassing pose, coming right up!"

Wren kicked herself mentally for saying that last part. She didn't know what had gotten into her, but she had absolutely no intention of doing anything as pointless as that. She knew one couldn't mess around when the bounty was a Sith lord. That was asking for disaster.

Nox cut the transmission. Then he got up from behind his desk and stretched. He'd decided to go out for a walk in the space station. He needed a little time to unwind, and a walk around the space dock was what he decided that he needed.

He asked himself, "_Is she really going to pose him?_"

After half a second, he answered his own question.

"_Of course not!_"

Then he thought to himself, "_Maybe I'll get something to eat._"

Gone from his mind, at least at that moment, were his thoughts of Ashara, and his crime against her.


	24. Tandankin Shipyards

Tandankin Shipyards

Andronikos Revel knew he was on borrowed time. Almost two weeks had passed with no work done on Nox's ship. After speaking to them via holo, from the Ilum space dock, he knew the ship builders at Tandankin Shipyards did not understand the gravity of his situation.

"_Of their situation!_" Andronikos corrected himself.

Andronikos began formulating a plan that would shift the blame for failure to them.

He thought to himself, "_It's their own damned fault that they're too damned stupid to know who Darth Nox is!_"

However, Andronikos knew deep inside that these excuses would not cut it with Darth Nox. He decided that he needed to be present and in their faces for them to understand.

Andronikos became quite determined as he thought, "_I'm going to make these dumb bastards understand!_"

Andronikos immediately had the ship unloaded of its cargo and had the cargo stored, under tight military guard, in a secure storage unit on the space dock. Less than an hour after refueling Nox's ship and restocking provisions for himself, he left the Ilum orbital space dock.

It was slow going with only the back up navigation system to guide the ship a third of the way around the galaxy. Only half a day after leaving the space dock Andronikos began to sorely miss the ship droid.

He thought regretfully, "_Damn! I wish the Boss'd left R8 behind._"

He had set several way points at major star systems along the way to ensure he wouldn't get lost. He left Ilum and the Unknown Regions behind, and passed through a significant portion of the Galactic Outer Rim, reaching his final destination, planet Tandankin, home of Tandankin Shipyards.

Andronikos sat in his scorched pilot's seat, wearing a re-breather to filter the air in the control bridge. The air was filled with dust particles, other toxic particulate matter, toxic gases that resulted from the fire, and the fire suppressant used to put it out. He looked through the force shield, which gave off a very, very faint blue-white ghostly glow as it held in the ship's atmosphere, in lieu of the shattered canopy.

The ship's controls were destroyed, but Andronikos had set the ship's backup navigation system in the engineering department, on autopilot. He configured the ship's autopilot to obey Tandankin's planetary near-space navigation beacons' instructions. The ship autonomously made course corrections as needed in its final approach to the ship's landing point, based on those instructions.

Andronikos could easily make out several hundred structures in various orbits around Tandankin. They looked like big, slowly moving specks, much brighter than the static stars that filled the black space around Tandankin's day time disk. The fact that he could see them from this distance from the planet, meant they were likely the gigantic transport ships being built for the Imperial Navy.

Gage-class troop transports are the kind that could transport entire divisions of ground forces with all of their equipment, vehicles, heavy artillery droids, war droids, and spare parts for all of the division's equipment, including munitions, medical supplies, food, and water purification systems to arm, care for, and feed the infantry division for thirty days of ground combat.

These transports are an astounding six kilometers long, two kilometers wide at the stern, tapering to one and a half kilometers wide at the bow, and have a hight of one and three quarters kilometers, near the stern, and tapering to five hundred meters high at the bow. They have twenty huge landing bays. Ten bays, arranged in two rows of five bays, on each side of the ship.

Each landing bay can accommodate up to four, Juggernaut dropships. The Juggernaut dropships are manufactured by Dromund Kalakar Shipyards on Dromund Kaas. Some are ferried to Tandankin, to join their Gage-class troop transport, at the transport ship's commissioning, to become part of its regular complement, but many of these ships are deployed to planetary bases to support long term ground operations.

Additionally, there are two additional landing bays, at the keel of the Gage-class transport that could each accommodate four Krayt Behemoth cargo transport ships. These ships manufactured by Draylor Technologies Shipworks, also based at Dromund Kaas, could each carry 50,000 metric tons of supplies and equipment, keeping troops on the ground supplied. The Gage-class troop transports are really gigantic ships.

The backup navigation autopilot took Nox's ship into a shallow dive that spiraled the ship in to a descending orbit around the planet. Andronikos started to make out a train of ships ahead of his. They looked like tiny dim specks which were following the same flight path as his.

Andronikos figured that meant his ship was now in one of the many hundreds of landing approach patterns with the other thousands of ships inbound to Tandankin. He then realized the specks he could see were likely some really big freighters, bringing in the many billions of tons of raw materials used by Tandankin's many industries, chief of which was Tandankin Shipyards, and the other giant corporations involved in the planet's ship building industry.

He also realized that for every speck he could see, there were hundreds of ships too small to see with the naked eye, that were strung out in between the tiny dim specks that were the big freighters. His ship would be among the ones too small to see with the unaided eye.

This flight path took his ship underneath one of the orbital ship berths. He could see the half built Gage-class transport within it's giant cage-like gantry on which hundreds of droid cranes ferried parts, materials, industrial labor droids and their handlers, to and fro, up and down, all over the half built ship.

A giant illuminated sign, on the side of the orbital gantry, read, 'Tandankin Shipyards.' Despite the huge size of the sign, it was still dwarfed by the gargantuan size of the orbital ship berth and the troop transporter berthed within. In the transporter's shadow, he could see thousands of sparkles and flashes that indicated the presence of thousands of welding droids and their handlers at work assembling the ship.

Andronikos felt the first bumps of turbulence that signified the ship was entering Tandankin's atmosphere. He didn't trust the force shield to keep the turbulent planetary atmosphere out of the control bridge, so he abandoned the ruined pilot's seat and exited the charred control bridge, shutting the hatch behind him.

He removed his re-breather as he made his way to the engineering department. There, he took a seat at the engineer's station and toggled the monitor to external view. He watched as his ship flew over a great sea towards the coastal plains of a large land mass. The plains gave way to agricultural regions, and then to a sprawling cityscape. The ship made a course correction, and he found himself looking at the edge of a vast forest. With only a few kilometers of open grasslands separating the forest from the cityscape, the forest was practically at the city's edge.

The forest gave way to another cityscape, but this cityscape was actually one of Tandankin Shipyards' many planet bound shipyard locations, where smaller starships were constructed. His ship finally came to land in a private spaceport operated by Tandankin Shipyards. Andronikos spent the next ten minutes going through the engine shut down procedure. He decided to leave the force shield up, on its low power setting, over the shattered canopy to keep joy-riders out.

He waited aboard the ship for the customs inspection officials, as instructed. As the customs inspectors searched his ship for contraband, Andronikos shook his head in amazement.

He wondered to himself, "_I wonder what the boss would've done if he were aboard and they told him to wait for an inspection?_" Andronikos concluded, "_These nerf herders are lucky the boss ain't aboard, this time._"

Andronikos was finally permitted to leave his ship to seek transport to Tandankin Shipyards' corporate campus. He didn't make it far from his ship before a protocol droid approached him and introduced itself.

"Welcome spacefarer! I am protocol droid VF675-M29. You may call me M29, if you wish. Are you Andronikos Revel, the captain of Darth Nox's private ship?"

Andronikos was irritated and answered testily, "Yeah, I am. What? Are you gonna take me to the corporate office, or tell me to ship out?"

VF675-M29 replied, "Why, Master Revel, I'm here to escort you to the office of the CEO and Chief Shipbuilder of Tandankin Shipyards, of course."

The droid's subroutines calculated that Andronikos was showing signs of irritability due to discomfort.

So VF675-M29 asked, "Are you hungry? Thirsty? Shall we stop somewhere along the..."

Andronikos interrupted, still irritated, "I already ate, and I ain't thirsty. Just get me to his damned office, already."

The droid's subroutines calculated, that it's earlier calculations were off, and there was no help for Andronikos' irritability.

So, VF675-M29 simply replied, "Follow me to the limousine, Master Revel."

The protocol droid turned about and proceeded to lead Andronikos to a waiting luxury stretch speeder. Andronikos was surprised to see it was piloted by a Twi'lek and not a droid.

His demeanor improved as he thought, "_Wow! A live driver! They're giving me the royal treatment, here. I wonder if they've finally figured out who they're dealing with?_"

The limo took him past a vast open resicrete tarmac filled with row after row of newly built starfighters, tactical bombers, and reconnaissance scout ships. Andronikos watched as a newly built starfighter was towed out from a kilometers long, three story building, on it's way to take its place in the rows of starfighters waiting for the Imperial Navy to inspect and to take delivery.

Andronikos thought, "_These are all Navy ships. They must build the civilian and commercial starships at some other plant._"

He asked the droid, and it confirmed that was indeed the case.

It seemed as though he were being driven through a small city of blue and white buildings, but each building he passed was actually a manufacturing plant for the various components that went into each ship. Each ship type had it's own assembly line, and each assembly line was serviced by hundreds of smaller components makers in the surrounding buildings. Many of the components were common to each starship built by Tandankin Shipyards, while other parts unique to each ship, were built elsewhere in the factory city, and then brought to each assembly line.

Suddenly, the scenery changed as the limo left the factory city and entered a lush manicured garden landscape that stretched for kilometers. At the center was a cluster of gleaming towers of sculpted seamless curved glass. Some towers in the cluster were gold and some were silver. These were the corporate offices of Tandankin Shipyards.

Andronikos could see that the dozen or so towers were at the center of the garden landscape, and that the garden itself was ringed in by the blue and white industrial buildings, which he could make out low in the great distance. That's when Andronikos realized that the industrial city was arranged in a giant ring, surrounding a garden several tens of square kilometers in area, with the corporate towers at the center.

The limo descended a ramp into an underground road system and parking structure, while it was still some kilometers from the towers, and drove the last couple of kilometers through the vast, brightly lit, underground parking lot until it reached one of several elevator lobbies. Andronikos realized that above the parking structure's reinforced resicrete ceiling, held up by thousands of reinforced resicrete columns, were the gardens and that each bank of elevators were from one of the dozen or so towers at the center of the garden. Andronikos and his droid guide got out of the limo and walked to one of the elevators at the central most bank of elevators.

Finally, almost two weeks after leaving the Ilum Orbital Space Station, he was in the chief Shipbuilder's office, sitting comfortably in a very expensive animal hide chair. Andronikos didn't know what kind of animal hide it was, but it was supple and very soft. Merely introducing himself, to the secretary, as captain of Darth Nox's personal vessel was enough to get him into the Shipbuilder's office without waiting, but incredibly that was all it got him.

Andronikos thought in frustration, "_Damn near a month gone with no work done on the Boss' ship! Blasted nerf turds! Turds for brains - all of ′__em!_"

Andronikos kept his sabacc face on, however. He didn't want them to know that he was sweating the situation. He couldn't believe how inconceivably stupid the man sitting across the desk from him was. Andronikos could see, in the smug look on the shipbuilder's face, that he didn't quite understand what a _Dark Lord on the Dark Council_ really was. As the crazy surreality of the situation hit him, Andronikos was struck with such incredulity.

He looked out the huge window behind the CEO. From where he sat in front of the CEO's desk, Andronikos could see the beautifully arranged gardens below and a section of the industrial city ringing the gardens and the towers off in the distance. The roof tops of the industrial buildings were blue and white, but they seemed to make a pattern that he realized was the corporation's trade mark symbol.

Impressed with that bit of marketing, Andronikos thought, "_Oh! That's neat! You could see their logo from space, maybe._"

He wondered to himself, "_How could anyone in charge of an operation as big as this be so obliviously unaware of what a monster the Boss really is? For crying out loud! It's Darth Nox! He has a reputation! Haven't they heard of it?!_" He wondered in amazement, as the realization hit him anew, "_How in hell do you live in this bloody galaxy and not know who in damnation Darth Nox is?!_"

Then an impossibility occurred to him, "_Does he think that because he has one of the biggest defense contracts in the Empire, that he has that much clout over a dark lord? No way! Is that it? That can't be it!_"

It was the very powerful Imperial Navy that held sway over the shipbuilder. He was too far removed from the Imperial capitol, Dromund Kaas, to far removed from the seat of the Dark Council on Korriban, and to far removed from Sith doings. He revealed his ignorance to Andronikos in his only holo communications with the former pirate nearly a month before.

The shipbuilder had plainly told Andronikos, "I don't care who the work is for. I will not be rushed!"

His staff echoed the shipbuilder's ignorance, when they failed to connect Andronikos to him on subsequent holo calls.

However, Andronikos had come to this meeting prepared to educate the obstinate fool. After being told he would not be rushed in that holo call, Andronikos had concluded that this was a case where he would need help.

Andronikos thought to himself, "_I'll have to bring in some muscle._"

Andronikos, using Nox's name, was able to place several holo calls, while in transit from Ilum. He'd finally contacted the Sith he had in mind, and had made arrangements to have Darth Nox's subordinate to attend the meeting with him. The shipbuilder and Andronikos waited for the Sith Lord to arrive. He was being escorted to the office by a protocol droid, and would arrive very shortly.

The shipbuilder's desk-top holo terminal chimed a melodious tune. The shipbuilder spoke in a tone that showed his waning patience and his distaste for the Sith lord's tardiness.

He said, "He's _finally_ here."

As Andronikos stood up in preparation to greet the Sith lord, he thought to himself, "_This mynock's turd is gonna get himself killed._" Andronikos told him, "You'd better stand. You don't have to, if you don't mind dying."

The shipbuilder replied sternly, "Your theatrics don't impress me, Master Revel."

Andronikos merely shrugged his shoulders as the door hissed open. This particular Sith was known to be particularly direct, fierce, and ruthlessly ambitious. This did not mean he was without reason, lacked cunning, nor that he acted rashly. It just meant that Andronikos had gambled that in less than five minutes, the stuffed shirt shipbuilder was going to be a blubbering, sobbing wretch willing to sell his own mother – _at a discount_, if that's what this Sith wanted. Andronikos loved to gamble.

The door hissed open and, to Andronikos' surprise, in walked two heavily armored Imperial Army shock troops, who took up stations just inside of the office on either side of the door, and a lieutenant shock troop commander, dressed in coal grey military field dress uniform. Two other shock troops took up stations outside of the office, on either side of the door. Andronikos imagined that the rest of the platoon had cordoned off the floor.

He thought, "_This floor is locked down. Nobody's coming, and nobody's going._"

The lieutenant scanned the office with a device. He stepped back outside, when he was done, with his troops following him out. They took up stations somewhere in the reception office. Then, in walked the Sith lord, with his Sith attendant, who took up his station just to the side of the door as it hissed shut again.

Andronikos, a bit surprised, thought to himself, "_Well. That was kind of dramatic._"

Returning his attention to the shipbuilder, and seeing the look on his face, he thought with near certainty, "_Oh, yeah. He's gonna die ugly! This should be a lot of fun to watch._"

The ship builder, smiling amusedly from his exquisitely comfortable chair, said, "My lord, welcome to Tandankin Shipyards."

He pointed to an empty chair in front of his enormous and beautifully polished natural wood desk. Andronikos started to feel the darkness swelling from Lord Calaverous.

He thought to himself, "_Here we go._"

Lord Calaverous said calmly, "When a Lord of the Sith enters a room, it is expected that those beneath him rise to their feet to greet their lord."

Andronikos looked pointedly at the shipbuilder and mouthed to him, "_Up. Up._"

Andronikos reinforced that by subtly signaling with his hand, down at his side, to rise. He was ignored.

Instead, the shipbuilder introduced himself, "I am Uradnay Fenk, CEO and Chief Shipbuilder of Tandankin Shipyards. I believe I have paid my proper respects when I cleared my calendar to see you on such short notice. I…"

Lord Calaverous raised his arm, stretching it towards Uradnay Fenk.

Lightning issued from his fingers, as he said over Uradnay's surprisingly high pitched screams of agony, "And I am Calaverous, Lord of the Sith, in service to Darth Nox, Dark Lord of The Sith. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The lightning ended, and Calaverous' arm came back down to his side, but Uradnay's cries of pain and misery continued as he writhed on the floor behind his desk and beside his upended chair. Andronikos, trying to maintain a serious expression, couldn't help himself. A snort and chortle escaped his compressed lips, and laughter showed through his strained facade.

He fought valiantly to hold back his laughter. Andronikos tried covering his grin with his hand, but his mirth filled eyes gave him away. Calaverous turned to face Andronikos, a look of deep displeasure on his face.

Andronikos put his hands up defensively, and through his laughter insisted, "Hey! I'm innocent! I tried warning him, but he wouldn't listen! It's his own fault!"

Calaverous accepted Andronikos' explanations and proceeded to sit in the chair offered him earlier. Using The Force, he righted Uradnay's chair. Then he signaled Andronikos to sit. Andronikos sat. The two men waited quietly for Uradnay to finally get up and sit in his own chair.

A bit of time had passed, when Andronikos finally turned to Calaverous and asked, "Do you think you might have over done it a little?"

Calaverous replied, "Have you ever been struck with lightning? I know I have. It hurts a lot, but it doesn't kill you if the voltage and amperage are low enough. He'll be alright. Just give him some time."

Andronikos replied, "Well, with The Force, you can take the damage, and even do a little healing, but us regular folk can't do any of that."

Lord Calaverous looked as though he hadn't considered that possibility.

He ordered his apprentice, "Murthos, give that worm a shot of kolto."

His apprentice replied dutifully, "Yes, Master."

Murthos walked around the end of the wide desk, walked around the back of the desk to where Uradnay lay writhing and moaning on the floor. He administered a dose of kolto to the CEO and Chief Shipbuilder of Tandankin Shipyards. Murthos then returned to his station at the side of the office door.

A short while later, Uradnay crawled back up into his chair, straitening his tunic and fixing his hair as he sat. Uradnay, wiping the tears, snot, and drool from his face with an exquisite silk handkerchief, looked accusingly at Andronikos.

Andronikos raised his hands defensively, and shrugging his shoulders at Uradnay said, "Hey, I'm innocent. I tried warning you. You wouldn't listen. It's your own damned fault."

Uradnay turned his head to face Calaverous. He saw, in Calaverous' eyes, a warning.

Not caring to repeat his earlier miscalculation, he rose unsteadily to his feet, and bowing before Calaverous, said, "I am greatly honored by your presence, my lord. What may Tandankin Shipyards do for you?"

A tiny smirk barely stretched across Andronikos' face, as he thought to himself, "_You learn quick! Don't you, turd for brains?_"

Andronikos' smugness was quickly replaced by shocked surprise at what Calaverous demanded.

The Lord of The Sith commanded, "Design and build, for my dark lord, a new ship. The ship he owns now is of an old design, and has been through a lot of damaging combat. The dark lord's new ship must have the latest in all technologies, and the best in comfort that you can manage. Have it built and delivered in three months."

Uradnay didn't even reply. He just simply resumed his seat, a look of deep concentration on his face as he thought carefully. Andronikos knew that what Calaverous required was impossible. He waited for Uradnay to say something as the silence stretched.

Uradnay thought furiously, as he tried to come up with a way to tell the Sith lord "no" in the most positive and polite manner he could manage. Andronikos realized that Uradnay was trapped, unable to say that it couldn't be done, but he also saw his chance.

He thought to himself, "_Damn! I can get the boss a brand new ship, and not just fix up the old one!_"

He spoke on Uradnay's behalf, saying, "Lord Calaverous, Tandankin Shipyards can build a new Fury Interceptor in a few weeks. That's 'cause it's an existing design with a well established production line. But it'll just be the bare bones model that the Imperial Navy usually gets.

"Now, to create a new ship plan from scratch, and to build it with the specs needed to be at a level Darth Nox will be happy with, it would have to be imagined, and then designed. They've got to build a test model, and then test it. Changes have to be made to the design, and then it gets tested again, and over again, before they can finally deliver the finished product.

"That could take a few years, at least. I don't think Darth Nox will be keen on waiting that long for his ship."

Calaverous shouted angrily, "I wanted to be associated with bringing a new ship to our dark lord! You promised it would get me ′_in good_′ with Darth Nox, but you've put me in a position that could get me killed for failing to have a ship delivered to him on time!"

Uradnay blurted out in dismay, "There's someone meaner _than you_?"

Andronikos let his face fall into the palm of his hand and groaned at Uradnay's lack of good sense. Murthos, actually laughed out loud.

Still laughing, he grabbed his lightsaber from his utility belt as he again walked towards the side of Uradnay's desk, asking his master, "My lord, allow me to gut this piece of filth for you."

Calaverous waved his apprentice off, then returning his attention to Uradnay, asked rhetorically, with humor in his tone, "You've truly led a sheltered and privileged life, haven't you?"

He turned to look at Andronikos. The pirate had his sabacc face back on.

Returning his attention to Uradnay Fenk, Calaverous told him, "If you think I'm _mean,_ after what I did to you, then just you wait until you've met Darth Nox. You'll start to realize that all of those tales of the Shadow Monster were true all along." Calaverous gave a wry grin, as he added, "That's because Darth Nox _is_ the Shadow Monster."

Andronikos rolled his eyes on hearing that last part, but after a second to contemplate, he nodded his agreement to Calaverous' assessment of what Nox was.

Uradnay said bleakly, "Then all of our lives are in danger. We're finished. It can't be done. What you're asking of me can't be done! It's as Master Revel has said."

Andronikos quipped, "Well, that didn't take long at all! You're finally starting to see the big picture, huh?" But he quickly added, "And no. We're not finished. Not yet, anyway. We all live and prosper, if we succeed, or we all die - painfully, if we fail."

Andronikos started to feel the darkness welling up from Calaverous again.

He turned to Calaverous to assure him, "We can succeed, and we'll all get what we want. You'll get a chance to be noticed by Darth Nox, Uradnay gets a contract with a big payday, and I get to keep living the high life." Turning to Uradnay, Andronikos suggested, "Tell Lord Calaverous how easy it would be to retrofit an existing Fury Class Interceptor hot off the assembly line."

Uradnay leapt at the chance to convince Calaverous that that was the best option.

He told the Sith lord, "I can take a Fury Interceptor that has come off the assembly line and have shipwrights go in to refit the interior with the latest and most luxurious materials and styles. The engines can be fitted and tuned with existing upgrades to maximize performance. I can replace all of the standard electronic suites with state of the art electronics and have them all properly tuned for the ship. The weapons suites can also be upgraded with cutting edge fire control systems, increased capacity missile magazines, and the latest energy weapons generators to increase turret firepower and range."

Turning to Andronikos, he concluded, "But that will take four months, not three."

Andronikos asked, "What about shielding?"

Uradnay said, "I can't have more powerful shield generators fitted without changing the ship's physical configuration. That means changes to the inner and outer hulls, which also means less interior space." He added as a caution, "That also means six to seven months for a delivery date."

Andronikos immediately replied, "Never mind shielding upgrades. We'll go with the standard shielding."

Leaning back in his chair to think, Andronikos sounded less than positive, as he thought aloud, "I might be able to convince Darth Nox to wait four months, but I don't know…"

Andronikos thought a bit more, and remembering Nox's deadly finger pointed at his face, added, "He got pretty mad when I told him he had to wait three months…"

Disgusted, Lord Calaverous shook his head in the negative on hearing Andronikos' doubts as to whether he could convince the dark lord to wait a month longer.

Turning to face Uradnay, Calaverous said to him, "I'll accept your expertise in ship building, and that you know what you're talking about, but if you can at all reduce the time from four months to three months, than do so."

Uradnay nodded his head and said, "I'll try my best, my lord, but I make no promises."

Calaverous shouted impatiently, "I don't care about promises! I want results! Do what is necessary to cut down as much time as possible...," The Sith lord added, pointing at Uradnay's face and causing the shipbuilder to flinch, "... without compromising quality and safety."

Andronikos worried, "_Damn... I already burned a whole month waiting for these turds to get to work. Even if it is done in three months, it'll still be four..._"

Uradnay, not wanting to get zapped with lightning anymore, simply replied, "Yes, Lord."

Uradnay turned to face Andronikos and asked, "Whom do I bill for all of this?"

Andronikos answered, "Bill the Navy for the ship, and bill _The Office of The Sphere of Ancient __Knowledge_ for the retrofits and upgrades."

Uradnay nodded his understanding. However, he realized the Imperial Navy would not be pleased to be billed for a ship for which they did not accept delivery.

He asked, "And if anyone asks, I should refer them to you?"

Andronikos smiled, and turning his head to face Calaverous, said, "That's right. I'll handle any questions anyone might have."

Lord Calaverous, understanding what Andronikos was intimating, said, "I can't imagine that you'll have any trouble once you explain that you are acting in Darth Nox's name. However, if you do, then refer them to me."

Andronikos promised, "I sure will." Then he said, "Thanks for your help in all of this. I couldn't have done it without you."

As Lord Calaverous stood from his chair and walked to the office door, he said, "Be sure Darth Nox knows my part in all of this."

His apprentice following him out the door, Calaverous left the office and the details to Andronikos.

Andronikos spent an additional hour with Uradnay going over the materials, color schemes, and furnishings to be used for the ship's interior. Andronikos knew that once Nox saw the opulence with which his _brand new_ ship was adorned, he would forgive the wait he had to endure for it. At least, that was his gamble. Andronikos loved to gamble.


	25. Darth Acina's Messenger

Darth Acina's Messenger

Juuldis didn't quite understand Khem Val's relationship with her new master, but she saw that even her senior apprentice, Shahn Lunn, showed him some deference. She'd only read about Dashades and seen holo-vids depicting them while at the Jedi temple on Tython during her days there as a Padawan. Dashades were a very rare, sentient species in danger of becoming extinct – not that that wasn't a good thing.

Juuldis' skin crawled as she thought, "_The sooner they become extinct, the better!_"

She had never imagined that she would actually see one in person. However, Juuldis was doing more than seeing one in person. She was actually living with the beast, and actually working _for_ it.

She shocked herself, again, with the realization, "_He might actually really eat me!_"

She'd caught him staring at her, or at Shahn, more than a few times as he wiped drool from his mouth. The only thing barely keeping him from making an attempt at making her or Shahn into a meal was Darth Nox's caution to the Dashade.

Nox had told him, "Khem, these are _not_ your food. They are _my_ apprentices."

After settling in on the space dock, on the first day, Khem Val gave Juuldis an order. She was to keep careful and covert watch of the corridor leading to Nox's suites on the space station.

He told her, "Our master's enemy will send powerful assassins against him. Anyone, not summoned by our master is an assassin. Kill him without fail."

Juuldis strongly protested, and tried to put Khem Val in his place.

She told him, "I don't take orders from beasts!"

Khem Val rephrased his order in the form of a suggestion, although menacingly and with a little drool seeping from the corner of his mouth.

He warned her, "I have not hunted on this space station, yet. If you do not wish to become my food, then I strongly _suggest_ you do as you are told. It is for our master's sake that I make this _suggestion_."

Later that day, while on watch, Juuldis had destroyed four utility droids and killed two utility repairmen. A security team, not assigned to Nox's security detail, came to investigate the murders. She killed them, too.

After speaking to Khem Val about this, he thought for a moment, and then said, "I shall tell the station security chief to seek permission before sending anymore of their people into our master's corridor."

Juuldis only nodded her agreement; she didn't want to unnecessarily antagonize him by criticizing his oversight. She could plainly hear Khem's belly growling, and it unnerved her.

Three days had passed, since then, without further killings. It had become excruciatingly boring for her. She thought to calm herself and settle down her mind. That thought reminded her of the Jedi Code.

"_There is no emotion, only peace._" She laughed silently, at herself, and then barely whispered to herself, "_Peace is a lie; there is only passion._"

At that instant she felt it, the presence of a very powerful and unfamiliar malevolence. She quickly reached into her tunic pocket and pressed the button of a small transmitter. All it did was transmit a series of beeps over a short range audio frequency, but it was a signal to everyone in Darth Nox's service on the station, that a powerful enemy was approaching.

In Nox's suites, Captain Talos Drellik donned his battle armor and armed himself with a powerful blaster Rifle. He had 2V-R8 set up several barricades as a protective barrier facing the entrance to the suites using the heavy tables that were already in the main common room. Talos took up his battle station there and directed the Imperial soldiers, assigned to Nox's security detail, to take up positions behind the other barricades arrayed in the common room. Then he waited.

Shahn ran towards Nox's personal quarters within the suites and waited outside his door as Khem had _ordered_. Meanwhile, Khem Val rushed past Talos and his security detail, and then out the main entrance. He made his way down the long narrow corridor to where Juuldis stood watch.

Juuldis watched as three Sith approached the entrance to Nox's private corridor. They were not hidden, nor did they seem to be in any hurry. The sound of Khem Val's heavy foot falls entered Juuldis' consciousness as he approached from behind. He passed ahead of her a few paces and stopped at the center of the entrance of the corridor. There, he stood with his arms crossed, waiting. Juuldis remained shrouded in The Force, hidden from perception.

The three Sith stopped about ten paces from where Khem stood blocking their path. The Sith, in the middle, spoke first.

He snarled at Khem in a condescending tone, "Out of my way, mongrel! I have business with Darth Nox."

Khem Val taunted the Sith, "If you wish to become my food, loud-mouth, then come closer. I will gladly feast on your corpse."

Khem watched the Sith slightly behind and to the left of loud-mouth, as he moved his hand slightly. He grasped his lightsaber hilt, but left it attached to his belt. Juuldis remained silently still the entire time. She had her eyes on the diminutive hooded female Human Sith to the right of the leader. She was looking right at Juuldis.

Juuldis thought to herself, _"She sees me!"_

Juuldis realized that female was the strongest one among the three, but she was hiding behind the weaker and obnoxious man in front to her left.

No sooner did she wonder if Khem Val was aware of this, than the Dashade spoke out.

"You! Quiet little Sith! Stop hiding behind this weak loud-mouth and tell me your business with my master."

Loud-mouth drew and activated his lightsaber and took a step towards Khem Val, who reacted by drawing and activating his oversized vibrosword from it's bracket on the back of his body armor.

Khem Val taunted loud-mouth, "Come to me, my food!"

The diminutive and quiet female uttered a single worded command.

"Stop."

Loud-mouth halted dead in his tracks. Stepping back, he deactivated his weapon, and returned it to his belt. The female stepped forward, smiling in amusement.

She said, so that all nearby her could hear, "The Dashade has sniffed me out."

She giggled at the thought of Khem Val sniffing around like a hound, and began to mimic a hound sniffing about. She laughed at Khem Val. Khem Val remained silent, and remained at the ready with his vibrosword. He could sense her strength, and knew she would not be easy prey.

She tired of the games, and finally got around to announcing herself, and her message.

She told Khem Val, "I am Darth Acrimous. I am the servant of Darth Acina, Dark Lord of The Sith. Tell your master that Darth Acina is terribly displeased. She is furious that Darth Nox has dared to interfere with her powerbase, and that he has slandered her good name with his lies. Tell your master that she will have her vengeance for this insult."

Suddenly, the deep red beam of a lightsaber grew out from her chest, then shrank back again as she collapsed, dead, onto the floor. Juuldis watched Darth Nox materialize as though an apparition. He stood silent and still behind Darth Acrimous' two apprentices, who'd watched in horror as their master collapsed to the floor of the space station's main corridor, dead.

Turning only their heads to look behind them, they saw him, within arm's reach of them both. The dark lord barely turned his head, shifting his eyes, as he regarded each man, in turn. Neither man moved, as they waited for their inevitable deaths.

On a whim, Nox told them, "Tell Darth Acina that I've received her message. Tell her that it is _I_ who am counter-striking for _her_ interference with _my own_ powerbase. Tell her it is _she_ who will fall from her post on the Dark Council, and not I."

Looking over their shoulders, the two Sith saw their chance to remain alive. Without turning their bodies to face him, they wordlessly, politely, bowed their heads and then quickly left Nox's presence. They were in a terrible rush as they walked away, leaving the same way that they'd come.

Khem Val was terribly dissatisfied.

He ranted, "Master, let me kill those two! They should not be allowed to live! They came into your presence with such disrespect!"

Nox said calmly, "Leave them be. Those two are no threat to me nor to my apprentices. They will not even dare show their faces before Acina."

Then, poking at Darth Acrimous' corpse with the toe of his boot, Nox added, "She, on the other hand, was a threat to my apprentices, and I just eliminated that threat." Nox looked up from the corpse to his servant and asked, "Are you hungry, Khem?"

Khem instantly forgot the two Sith that had got off so easy.

Laughing in delight for his coming meal, he said, "Thanks to my master, I will not need to hunt on this space station!" Turning to where Juuldis remained shrouded in The Force, Khem teased, "Aren't you glad, apprentice of my master? You shall tremble no more at the sound of my grumbling belly, because it shall become full! Ha! Ha!"

Juuldis knew humiliation and fear. She was humiliated that Khem Val, while mocking her, revealed that he had known all along exactly where she'd hid. And she was in fear of how her master had gotten past her, completely undetected. Juuldis surmised that Darth Nox had somehow crept past her and Khem Val and then snuck around behind those three, striking down that Darth by complete surprise.

She wondered to herself, "_How did he get past me without me feeling even a shred of his presence?!_"

She watched with a mix of revulsion and depraved fascination as Khem Val picked up the corpse of the dead Sith and then made his way back into the suites.

"He will _feast well,_" she thought to herself. Then she observed, "_Khem likes saying that._"

Juuldis dropped her Force Shroud as Darth Nox approached, and bowing to her master, said to him, "I'd like to ask a couple of questions, Master."

Nox replied to his pupil, as he walk past her, "Talk as we walk."

Juuldis asked, as she fell into step beside her master, "How did you get passed me, Khem Val, and those three without even the slightest indication you were here all along, Master?"

Nox looked askance at his apprentice as they walked and saw a chance for mischief. He told her truthfully, "Would you believe me if I'd told you, I learned something about Force Persuasion from my battles with you?"

Juuldis was surprised to hear that, and looked at Nox to see if perhaps he was toying with her.

Nox continued speaking, "I shrouded my presence from all of you; I used Force Persuasion to cloud your thoughts so that all of you focused deeply on the greatest threat before each of you. This was how you hid your presence from me at the spaceport on Taris. When you realized my deep concern for that crate, you had me so focused on it, that I did not sense your presence until it was almost too late."

Technically speaking, that was all true. However, Juuldis was slightly disappointed at hearing that.

She thought, "_That was it? I already knew that._" However, Juuldis had to confess to herself, "_Yet, I've never had my thoughts so completely clouded as that..._" Commenting to her master, she observed, "Your proficiency with Force Shroud is quite masterful. You could have used it to defeat me easily." Then she asked, "Why didn't you, Master?"

Nox said matter-of-factly, "When you find your opponents are no real match for you, then you don't really go all out. Battles are more fun for me if I hold back. However, in the case of the late Darth Acrimous, I wanted to impress her weakling apprentices and use them to send a message to Darth Acina."

That was also the truth.

Although Nox did not actually lie to her, neither did he explain to Juuldis that he didn't actually creep past her and Khem Val as she had imagined. In fact, Nox was not in his suit of rooms when Acina's servants had approached. He'd actually been in a lounge for V.I.P.'s enjoying an exquisitely prepared Alderaanian style broiled nerf steak, with roasted vegetables, and a carafe of very fine Corelian Merlot.

Nox chewed on the succulent meat. Half way through chewing, he took another sip of the very fine wine. Then the device, attached to his utility belt, began to beep incessantly. He'd shut it off and, after charging the cost his half eaten dinner to his estate, left the V.I.P. lounge. He vanished from view as he exited the doors of the lounge.

What Nox had told her wasn't quite the answer she'd expected, but it revealed a couple of interesting points.

She thought to herself, "_So, Darth Nox thinks I'm weak._"

That angered her, as she had to concede that Nox didn't seem to give it his all, in her battles with him while on Taris, first in the Forests and later at the Spaceport. However, she had another concern.

She asked Nox, "Why is Khem Val giving your apprentices orders? Why do I have to take orders from him?"

Nox said simply, "When you become stronger than Khem Val, then you can stop taking orders from him."

Juuldis became incensed. She thought to herself, "_He thinks I'm that weak?_ _He thinks Khem is that much stronger than I…?_"

However, Juuldis furiously admitted to herself that she _did_ fear him. She became determined to change that.

Juuldis declared to Nox, "Master, I don't intend to let that Dashade continue to think he's stronger than me. Soon, I will teach him that _I_ am _his_ superior."

Darth Nox misunderstood. He stopped and turned to face Juuldis. He spoke with a menacing warning in his tone.

"Do not seek to subvert my followers. It will only end with your own destruction."

Juuldis was taken aback. She quickly clarified.

"No Master! That's not what I meant! What I meant was that Khem looks at me as food. I mean to teach him to respect my power, and to treat me as his superior."

Nox, satisfied that she did not mean to openly challenge his authority, burst her bubble when he told her, "Khem looks upon all Sith and Jedi as food, even me. He looks at no one as his superior.

"He sees himself as my equal, but has submitted himself to me alone. He will never serve another. If you challenge him, it will only end up in your death or his, and if you kill him. I'll destroy you."

Darth Nox resumed walking to his suite of rooms, with Juuldis resuming her steps beside her master.

He spoke after a few paces down his private corridor, "If you become stronger, you won't need to fear him any more. Just focus on becoming stronger. Khem knows his limits. He gave up trying to eat me long ago."

As the two walked silently the rest of the way to Nox's suites, Juuldis thought to herself, "_I am being looked down upon! Does he think I'm really that weak?!_"

She found that terribly insulting, but kept her thoughts about it to herself. Furiously, she had to admit to herself, that she was weaker than Khem Val.

Juuldis vowed to herself, "_I will gain the knowledge that is in that relic, and I will become stronger than that Dashade, and even stronger than you, Darth Nox!_"

Nox felt her anger surge, but said nothing. It pleased him that his Jedi apprentice had abandoned the nonsense that was the Jedi Code.

Nox thought to himself, "_Ashara was so stubborn..._"


	26. A Great Setback and A Great Triumph

A Great Setback and A Great Triumph

A few days had passed since Darth Acina's messengers delivered her words to Darth Nox. As Nox had predicted, the two Sith he had let escape delivered their report, including Nox's reply, to Darth Acina via holo-transmitter and then never returned to her again. They had gone into hiding. Acina was livid. Her servant was murdered by Darth Nox, and those two vanished without a trace…

Acina fumed aloud, "...and without even trying to lift a finger against _that Nox!_"

Darth Acina seethed as she thought, _"It all started with that blasted failure of a servant, Komo!" _Aloud, she said, "I want him dead. Dead! Kill him. I don't care what it takes! Kill Darth Komo!" She screamed out in utter fury, "That traitor!"

Two of her apprentices quietly left her presence, after taking it upon themselves to carry out her will.

Acina was furious. She'd gotten the notice, almost a week before, from Darth Marr about the additional items to be discussed at the upcoming Dark Council meeting. Nox had beaten her to the punch with his proposal to place him in charge of Taris because of her mishandling of the planet.

She realized that to the other dark councilors her allegations, which she leveled against Nox, and her claims of his unfitness to remain on the Dark Council, was perceived as a weak counter to the actions Nox took against her. In fact, one of the dark lords on the Dark Council, with whom she had been in talks about her plans to take Nox down, stopped answering her communications on the matter. He'd grown cold feet, leaving her on her own against Darth Nox.

Acina thought caustically, "_Darth Aruk, you coward!_"

To make matters worse was Komo's report to the Dark Council, via Darth Nox, a copy of which she received this very morning _from Nox_. Nox had included a short note attached to Komo's report.

It read, "_Acina, this is how you pacify a rebellion and rule a world._" He signed his attached note, "_Darth Nox._"

Komo had begun reporting to _him_ instead of reporting to her. Komo had stopped sending regular reports to Acina and had stopped answering her communications.

Acina Thought to herself, "_The Dark Council has not even met over this farce, and that blasted Komo is already making the Taris takeover a reality!_" She screamed out again, "Komo, you traitor! I want you dead!"

Acina's position on the Dark Council was already tenuous. She had suffered a terrible humiliation, just over one year back, when one of her apprentices betrayed her to the Dread Masters and led their servants into the Emperor's vaults aboard a secret space station containing powerful Sith relics and technologies. Now she suffered a new humiliating betrayal at the hands of one of her other servants.

She furiously screamed out again, "Kooommooo!"

Darth Acina let loose a terrible torrent of Force Lightning into one of her military-grade guardian droids, blasting it into flaming pieces with a single brief bolt. However, her fury was not sated, and she continued pouring lightning into what was left of the already ruined war droid, as her remaining apprentices quietly, and quickly, excused themselves from her presence.

* * *

Darth Nox sat on a couch in his study aboard the space station laughing and smiling. He had just relayed a report from Darth Komo to the Dark Council about the progress that had been made since Darth Nox took matters into his own hands on Taris and put down a rebellion that was threatening to explode out of control. Komo's report made Nox's involvement seem like a miracle that had brought order back to a troubled world, and ruined the Republic's efforts against the Empire on Taris.

There was even an attachment containing a citation from General Riiy'enni'sansa recommending Darth Nox be awarded the Sith Empire's Medal of Heroes, for his role in almost single handedly destroying five elite commando squads, the killing of two Jedi Masters, and the bringing of a third Jedi Master into the service of the Sith Empire, all while leading the effort to quell a brewing rebellion. Nox knew the Dark Council would likely not authorize the award, but neither would they be able to ignore his accomplishments on Taris as recorded in an official military citation.

Nox thought smugly to himself, _"Acina's __case to discredit me__ will fall flat._"

From this, he knew without a doubt that he could trust Darth Komo. Komo had, without any doubt, abandoned Acina and turned to him for leadership, as well as for protection against her. Nox decided to send more Sith to protect Komo. He knew Acina would likely strike against Komo very soon.

Komo had given Nox potent ammunition to use against Acina in the upcoming Dark Council meeting. There was no way she could explain why one of her servants abandoned her leadership and her policies for his. He was going to win Taris.

Nox laughed smugly, "Heh, heh, heh..."

Darth Nox relished sending Darth Acina her copy of the report, with his own comments attached. He knew his attached note would rankle her. He'd begun enjoying turning her games and ploys, to undermine his rule, on their heads. Nox likened it to giving a nexu a good yank of its tail, and then laughing at its surprised indignation as it scampered off, with its tail tucked protectively at it's side.

Naturally, the nexu would recover its dignity and come back to attack, but he would always easily kill it afterwards. Then a thought occurred to him.

He thought aloud, "_I wonder if I could get away with killing her...?_"

As much as he wanted to kill her, he knew that he didn't have just cause. She hadn't done enough to warrant her death at his hands. Besides, he had already retaliated, and rather spectacularly at that.

He couldn't kill her without reaping the consequences. The rest of the Dark Council would join forces against him, to destroy him. He knew they feared him, and were all waiting for just such an excuse to come after him.

They feared how fast he'd risen. In just under five years, he went from a pathetic and obscure slave named Kallig, to one of the twelve rulers of the Sith Empire. A few years more saw Darth Nox among the top four most influential members of the Dark Council.

The outcome of his conflict with Acina, namely his takeover of Taris, would also mark him as one of the strongest on the Dark Council. As stupid and weak as Nox thought her to be, he had to admit, Acina was ambitious and daring. He knew this matter was not over. Nox expected her to make her next move. He resolved to be ready for whatever she threw his way.

His troubles with Acina aside, Nox regarded Darths Marr, Ravage, and Mortis to be his greatest threats on the Dark Council. He recognized, that while they probably regarded him with some interest now, that after destroying Acina's credibility and successfully taking Taris from her, they would likely regard him the same way that he saw them, as a great threat. To Nox, that likely meant those three would work to maneuver the other dark counselors to undermine his position, not to remove him, but to defang him.

Nox didn't believe his taking of a planet and embarrassing Acina before the Dark Council would be enough to have her removed from her post, but her influence would drop greatly, and eventually one of her servants would rise against her and kill her, to take her seat on the Dark Council. Her decline and eventual fall would propel him even higher, bringing him even greater power and influence. Darth Nox would have to avoid any pitfalls Marr, Ravage, and Mortis would set against him, while capitalizing on Acina's eventual demise.

All of this brought Nox to his next train of thought, and that was what to do with his increased power and influence over the other dark counselors. In fact, Darth Nox had been thinking of precisely that for the last several months. He believed he had discovered an inroad to greater power and influence, through the Sith Emperor's apparent apathy. Since the Emperor had kept silent all the time Nox had sat on the Dark Council, Nox had come to believe that he had pretty much given the dark councilors a free hand in managing their own affairs within the Dark Council.

Darth Nox believed this was how Darth Marr had grown to have such power over his peers and had become the de facto leader of the Dark Council, but Nox didn't want Marr to wield any power over _him_. However, Nox knew that, as influential and as powerful as he'd become (his influence and power could only grow even more with Acina's diminished influence and her eventual death), he wasn't strong enough to displace Marr as the de facto leader, by himself.

Instead, Darth Nox envisioned luring Darth Ravage and Darth Mortis into helping him to create a new leadership structure that comprised, Nox, Marr, Mortis, and Ravage at the top to form a power sharing quartet, with the rest of the Dark Council forming ranks below them. Nox believed that subduing the other dark councilors could be done with the unified front of the quartet. However, convincing Marr would take the considerable efforts of Ravage, Mortis, and himself working together.

It was Nox's plan to eventually cause factions to form among the other eight dark counselors, and the most influential of the quartet, over those factions, would be the one to wield the most power. Darth Nox intended to be that one.

However, there was also the matter of the Emperor's Hand and the Emperor's Wrath to take into account. The Hand and The Wrath, were the Emperor's agents. They directly carried out his will. From time to time they would appear in the Dark Council chambers to warn the dark councilors whenever they were dangerously close to displeasing the Emperor.

Darth Nox knew they might take exception to such a restructuring of the Dark Council. The Emperor very likely wouldn't care, so long as no one tried to supplant him, but his Hand and his Wrath might see things differently.

Nox thought to himself, "_That will be dealt with when the time comes._"


	27. Mind Traps and Interfaces

Mind Traps and Interfaces

Talos Drellik stood before Nox's desk, at parade rest. He was presenting Nox with his research findings.

"My lord, there has been a lot of erosion on the surfaces of the artifact, but I've finally been able to make sense of the text written on it. This mind trap needs an outside interface in order to interact with its prisoner without entering it oneself."

Nox asked, "In other words, it's like the mind traps we found on Tatooine and Belsavis? We need to have it connected to a device so that the entity within can communicate with the outside world?"

Captain Drellik replied succinctly, "That is correct, Dark Lord."

Nox thought carefully and mused aloud, "And yet, Khem was able to force Zash into the mind trap – albeit with my help…."

Talos clarified what he'd learned about the device, telling the dark lord, "Those, knowledgeable in and capable of, certain Force rituals don't need such an interface to trap a mind in one. For everyone else, the interface is needed. However, to communicate with the inmate, everyone needs to use an interface, and..." Talos hesitated and looked around to be sure no one else was in the room before continuing, "...to extract it, you need the interface machinery _and a live body_. A clone should do the trick..."

Nox asked, "Have you spoken of this with the others?"

Talos replied, "No, Dark Lord. However, Lord's Shahn and Juuldis have also had access to the artifact, and Lord Shahn can read ancient Rakata texts just as well as you or I. However, using special techniques and equipment, I was able to just barely make out the eroded text."

Nox knew that Captain Drellik could be a little long-winded when making his reports, and he didn't want to wait for Talos to make his point.

The dark lord asked, "Talos, just tell me what's bothering you."

"Dark Lord, she hasn't seen the results of my work, but I cannot say with absolute confidence that Lord Shahn does not know what it says. She might have some Force ability to easily see what took me several days to barely make out, for example."

Nox thought about that for a moment, and said, "No… I don't think it's possible to read eroded text using The Force. However, through very long hours of meditation, maybe? Perhaps by looking into its future to see how it will be used? Maybe..."

The silence stretched as Nox thought on the matter with Talos standing quietly in front of him, waiting.

Darth Nox concluded, "I haven't given her nor Juuldis enough time to meditate on anything. I've been keeping them both very busy."

Nox recalled his conversation with Shahn Lunn at the dilapidated warehouse where they'd found the artifact. He realized that Shahn, at least, might have a clue as to what could happen if she interacted with the artifact. Nox was sure, however, that he'd convinced her of a ritual that would prepare her to overpower Zash, and to keep her under control just as he had done with the ancient ghosts of four powerful Sith that, to this day, remain imprisoned and enslaved within him.

Then remembering that Talos still stood before him, Nox asked, "So, Talos. Where to? Is it Tatooine, or is it Belsavis?"

Captain Drellik knew precisely what Nox was asking. The interface technology had, thus far, only been discovered on two worlds. One was on Tatooine, at the abandoned Czerka dig site. As for the other device, there was at least one on Belsavis, an ancient Rakata prison planet. Belsavis was also a Republic prison world under tight lock-down with beefed up Republic security forces.

Nox remembered his time on Belsavis a few years ago. He used a machine there to heal his body before he'd defeated Darth Thanaton and ascended to the Dark Council in his place. He wondered if the Rakata Artificial Intelligence, that had healed him, had taken over the planet after he disabled its lock-down programs, or if it was content to maintain it's independence from the Rakata in it's facility.

He realized that raiding Belsavis again wouldn't go as smoothly a second time, but Nox was prepared to do just that. He wanted Zash back, and he was prepared to sacrifice any number of Imperial troops to make it happen. He wondered how much political capital he would have to spend to sweep his waste of Imperial military forces under the rug.

In answer to Nox's query, Talos reminded him, "Recall, my lord, that the machinery you found at the Czerka dig site, on Tatooine, was moved to Dromund Kaas, together with the mind trap that was attached to it. This, in order to communicate with the Rakata entity imprisoned within. My studies on the artifact we have here, indicates that's probably the interface we need."

Darth Nox nodded his head, after being reminded of it.

Talos added, "If luck holds, that's the one we'll need, Dark Lord."

Nox replied as though he scorned the idea of needing luck.

"I don't need luck, but in this case, I wouldn't mind convenient coincidences."

Talos said, "Dark Lord, I'd like permission to travel to Dromund Kaas to carefully inspect the interface device over there. Only then can I be absolutely certain that's where we'll need to take _this_ mind trap."

Nox granted his permission, telling the Imperial Army captain, "Go. Be swift."

Talos came to attention, stomped his boot and said, "Yes, sir!"

Then he turned about and marched out of Nox's office.

Shortly after Talos had left Nox's presence, a chime sounded from his desktop holo transmitter. 2V-R8 had forwarded an encrypted text message to him. Nox decrypted it, and found it was from his hired bounty hunter. As he read the message, a smile began spreading on his face. He'd gotten Lord Kirnon's message earlier.

Nox said aloud to himself, "Two for two."


	28. Kirnon Makes His Move

Kirnon Makes His Move

Kirnon was no fool. He knew his limitations. He also knew his strengths. Lord Kirnon was a powerful Sith warrior, excelling in lightsaber techniques, but so was Darth Achelon.

However, Kirnon knew this matter could not be settled with a simple lightsaber duel to the death. He recognized that going after Darth Achelon would require that a small war be fought with a small army, just to get to within a lightsaber's reach of Achelon. Only then would he be able to challenge Achelon to then settle the matter. The outcome of all of this could go either way, Kirnon knew.

Kirnon hired a battalion of soldiers. Soldiers with combat experience, and that would only take orders from him – without question. Therefore, Imperial soldiers were not the ones he'd got.

As soon as they discovered their objective was on board an Imperial Navy dreadnought, they would likely immediately stand down. The Imperial Army and Navy have a standing, unwritten and little known, policy of keeping out of Sith politics, if they could. Most of the time, the Army and the Navy succeed in keeping out of internal Sith conflicts.

However, when Imperial forces find themselves commanded by a Sith lord, who happens to have a problem with another Sith lord, also commanding Imperial Forces, it becomes a bit more complicated. Unbeknownst to most Sith in such situations, if they aren't paying attention, the opposing Imperial force flag officers (generals or colonels and admirals or captains), arrange to have the Sith lords commanding them to ′_coincidentally meet_′ on the battlefield, where they usually end up in a lightsaber duel. Once one or both Sith and their apprentices are dead, the Imperial officers start giving cease fire orders. This, to minimize the loss of valuable Imperial military assets.

Kirnon was one of a handful of Sith, who worked with Imperial forces, who knew about these secret arrangements between opposing Imperial military officers. Which is why he decided to hire mercenaries. The Mandalorian mercenaries were famous, galaxy wide.

From region to region they had many reputations, both good and bad, and usually those reputations were well deserved, both the good (dependable, stalwart, victorious) and the bad (marauders, merciless, blood thirsty). Either way, their reputations gave them good business prospects across the galaxy. They weren't cheap, either.

Where Imperial forces were bad for this sort of job, the Mandalorians, on the other hand, were perfect. They cared nothing for Sith politics. Their only concerns were for a glorious battle, and for equally glorious pay. They had an outstanding track record for honoring their contracts and for ruthlessness on the battlefield, meaning they won more battles than they lost. When it came to big battles, Mandalorians won big, or they lost big.

Kirnon smiled grimly as he thought to himself, "_Well, this is going to be a big battle; let's see how big I'll win or lose, today._"

It was a very daring plan. He had bought stolen codes and information that gave him the current IFF codes, security codes, and verbal pass phrases for the week, which would allow his ship to dock in the dreadnought's main docking bay without question and give him unfettered access to the ship's interior. Then he stuffed an Imperial Navy troop carrier, normally capable of transporting a company of heavy shock troops with all of their equipment and supplies, with his battalion of Mandalorian raiders.

They had spent the previous week removing the seats, bunks, and internal bulkheads from the troop carrier, and then hastily installed additional air scrubbers to keep the air breathable, all to the horror of the Imperial Navy ship crew and ship commander. The hired mercenaries then entered the ship, cramming themselves in like fish packed in a can. There was standing room only for the 1200 mercenaries in a troop carrier designed to accommodate four hundred.

Kirnon stood behind the Imperial Navy ship pilots and listened carefully as the ship commander chatted with the traffic controller aboard the dreadnought to make certain he would not be betrayed. Kirnon's three apprentices were at the very back of the troop carrier. They were positioned to exit the ship first, to lead the Mandalorians in the attack. Kirnon would be the last to exit the ship.

Everything was going as planned, which made him nervous. Everything was going _too_ smoothly. He had a bad feeling about it, but the chance cubes had already been cast. There was no going back for him.

Kirnon had sunk nearly his entire fortune to fund this operation, selling lands, houses, rare Sith and Jedi artifacts he'd discovered over the years, and emptying all of his financial accounts.

He said aloud to himself, "_Win big, or lose big. All is set into motion. It is too late for second thoughts._"

The troop carrier had begun its final approach to the docking bay and began to slow greatly. The dreadnought's batteries had not fired at them, a hurdle passed. The troop carrier entered the docking bay, and Kirnon could see that it was occupied by the usual maintenance crews, maintenance droids, and two or three security droids stationed at the corners of the docking bay.

They had no idea what was about to happen. Kirnon couldn't believe how completely The Force had favored him in all of this. The ship settled down in the expansive docking bay, the biggest one in the dreadnought that could accommodate his troop carrier.

The Imperial Navy ship commander continued his normal chatter with the traffic controllers, following normal protocol and procedures. Two weeks before, when Kirnon had first drafted him for the operation, the ship commander had learned what his mission was and that it was Darth Nox who had ordered it. He'd decided right then, that he was not going to oppose Nox, nor get in Kirnon's way.

Behind him, the Mando battalion commander eyed Kirnon as he gave the command over the ship's intercom, "Stim up!"

Kirnon turned to face the Mando commander and watched as he injected himself with a battle-grade hyper-awareness stimulant, _'stimming up'_ along with his troops.

Kirnon asked the Mando Commander, "Are you ready to earn your pay?"

The Mandalorian replied, "We are going to earn so much glory today! And we will be paid well to have a blast! We are ready."

Kirnon nodded and ordered, "Go. Fight."

The Mandalorian commander shouted something in the Mando tongue, and his troops roared in response. Then the ramp dropped. When it did, Kirnon's apprentices ran down the ramp and each leapt into the attack, killing anyone they came across as they each rushed towards a security droid. They each attacked their respective droid to grab the droids' attention and give the mercenaries a chance to run down the ramp without getting hammered by the droids' murderous firepower.

Kirnon's apprentices stayed well away from their respective war droid target, deflecting the droids' blaster cannon fire with their lightsabers. They didn't have to wait very long, as missiles slammed into each droid, destroying them. The blaster fire and explosions ended, as Kirnon's forces quickly seized control of the docking bay. Kirnon's apprentices had already rushed to the various blast doors leading into the docking bay from the ship's interior and, using Kirnon's stolen codes, unlocked and opened them.

Kirnon watched as the Mando mercenaries poured through the opened doors entering the ship from the docking bay. The sounds of battle exploded anew as Imperial troops finally arrived to repel the boarders, but it was too late. The Mandalorian mercenaries had already found purchase and had momentum, stims, and glorious battle to propel them deeper into the dreadnought.

The mercenaries had taken defensive positions in two of the three main corridors leading to the docking bay, blocking any counter attacks Imperial troops might make against them to cut off the Mando mercenaries' escape. They made their main assault along the corridor that led most directly to the turbolifts leading to the dreadnought's command bridge.

The fighting did not stop until the mercenaries controlled the corridor and all side corridors and ship spaces connected to it. Three hours after the fighting had started, the Mando battalion commander spoke to Kirnon via short range audio communicator.

"We've secured the way to the turbolifts."

Kirnon replied, "Acknowledged."

In the docking bay control room, he got onto the ship-wide intercom, and declared, "Know that I, Kirnon, Lord of The Sith, have come in the name of Darth Nox, Dark Lord of the Sith, seated on the Dark Council. Darth Nox has ordered the execution of Darth Achelon for his treachery against the dark lord. I am here to carry out that execution order.

"As such, all Imperial Forces are to stand down. Failure to do so is to stand against Darth Nox and the Dark Council. You will die, and your families will suffer!"

He didn't know how much stock the Imperial troops would put into his declaration, but Kirnon figured it couldn't hurt. Kirnon and his three apprentices walked briskly from the docking bay office, through the docking bay, and into the main corridor leading to the turbolifts. He entered the _oh-so-expensive-but-worth-every-credit_ codes into the console next to the lifts, and reactivated the turbolifts.

Kirnon and his apprentices ignited their lightsabers on the way up, and activated their personal shield generators. When the doors opened, they were met by a storm of blaster fire. Kirnon Force leapt into the center of the bridge and braced himself as he searched around for Darth Achelon. His apprentices had spread out into the command bridge, attacking and destroying security droids, and killing Imperial soldiers.

A voice shouted out, "Cease fire! Cease fire! The agent of Darth Nox is on the bridge!"

Darth Achelon cursed his troops, "Fools and cowards!"

He used The Force to throw the admiral who'd served as his Executive Officer, and who'd ordered the troops to cease firing, at Kirnon. Using The Force, Kirnon deflected the admiral and sent him skidding across the dark grey polished metal plated deck.

Darth Achelon had only two of his five apprentices with him. The other three were not on the command bridge. Achelon's two apprentices, present with him, went on the attack against two of Kirnon's apprentices.

Kirnon shouted, "By twos!"

Two of his apprentices joined to fight against one of the enemy, and Kirnon joined his third apprentice against his apprentice's opponent.

In short order, Darth Achelon was left alone to face Kirnon and his three apprentices.

Darth Achelon asked, "Will you give me the honor of single combat, Lord Kirnon?"

Kirnon replied, disgust edging his tone, "The traitor wants to be honored? You'll die like the traitorous scum that you are!"

Kirnon shouted, "Security droids, attack the traitor Darth Achelon!"

The droids queried their operators, asking if Lord Kirnon had proper command authority to issue such orders. The sergeants operating the droids looked to their officers, who in turn, looked to their commanders.

Darth Achelon was just about to laugh at Kirnon when the admiral, who'd survived being thrown, and then deflected, spoke loudly, but in obvious pain.

"By my authority, per Imperial Army and Navy Command and Control Manual, section 23.6, subsection Cresh, command authority is recognized for Lord Kirnon, and rescinded from Darth Achelon, as sanctioned by Darth Nox through his agent, Lord Kirnon."

A storm of blaster fire erupted from all over the command bridge, directed at Darth Achelon. Imperial soldiers joined their droids and began firing their own weapons at Darth Achelon as well. Lord Kirnon watched carefully as Darth Achelon fought feverishly to deflect hundreds of blaster bolts per second, many tens of blaster bolts got through and quickly depleted his personal shield generator. Soon the blaster bolts began to find their target, and Achelon was showing signs of weakening despite using The Force to mitigate the damage from the blaster fire.

With no way to escape, and his impending death looming, Darth Achelon decided to take everyone with him to become _One with The Force_. He abandoned his defense and used all of his remaining power in The Force to throw a security droid into the main canopy of the command bridge. He immediately became disgusted with himself and instantly regretted his decision, when he remembered too late, that the canopy was reinforced with a force shield to protect it from blaster damage whenever the ship entered battle stations. The droid smashed against the power of the shielding protecting the main canopy and ricocheted, first up into the overhead, and then down onto the deck of the command bridge.

Achelon reacted too late, Kirnon was already at his back, even through the blaster fire, and ran his lightsaber through Achelon. Achelon looked down at the deep red light blade, as it withdrew into his chest. It was the last thing he saw as his mind left him, and he died.

Kirnon knew victory, as the blaster fire abruptly ended and he stood over the dead body of the traitorous Achelon, but he did not allow himself to celebrate just yet. He turned to his apprentices and shouted his orders to them.

"Begin phase two! Now! Go!"

Phase two called for Kirnon's apprentices to lead Imperial troops to scour the ship in search of Darth Achelon's remaining apprentices. They would later discover, that Achelon's remaining three apprentices were scattered throughout the galaxy on various missions.

As Kirnon watched a medical droid tend to the admiral's injuries, he demanded, "Who's in command with the admiral wounded and incapacitated?"

A Human female stepped forward and said, "I am in command while Admiral Henness Thane is incapacitated, my lord. I'm Captain Jand Nung."

Kirnon ordered her, "Spread word on this ship, and to the other ships of this fleet, that the traitor Darth Achelon has been executed in accordance to Darth Nox's decree. Then determine if Admiral Henness Thane will be able to resume command, or if a replacement will be needed. If the latter, then request Naval High Command for a replacement."

The captain replied, "Yes, my lord."

When Captain Nung completed the tasks he'd assigned her, Kirnon asked, "What was this task force's mission?"

The captain replied, "We were conducting security patrols of this region, my lord."

Kirnon ordered, "Continue your mission. Also, prepare shuttle transports for my forces to get them to the nearest planet with a spaceport."

The captain suggested, "My lord, if it pleases you. It would be more efficient to simply orbit Tatooine, then use your troop carrier to ferry your forces down. That's the nearest planet with a spaceport from here."

Kirnon, accepting her suggestion replied, "Then we'll do that."

Kirnon left the bridge to speak to the Mando commander. On his way to the Mandalorian leader, Kirnon had three thoughts. The first was that Darth Achelon never denied the charges against him. He never asked why Darth Nox branded him a traitor.

Kirnon, surmised, "_Perhaps he'd already known that his treachery __had been__ discovered..._" His second thought was, "_I must report my success to Darth Nox._"

Kirnon grinned and chuckled at himself as he remembered how much he owed the Mando commander for his battalion's services and thought, "_I'm going to be flat broke, after I pay up. But I've won big!_"


	29. All In A Day's Work

All In A Day's Work

Wrehn has had some real tough jobs in the past, and this one was proving to be just as tough. Firstly, she was almost two weeks behind schedule. She had special equipment custom made specifically for this job. It was a specialized trapping device. It took quite a few tests and adjustments, over a period of a little more than a week, before the equipment proved reliable.

However, the hardest thing she had to contend with, on this job, was dealing with the Imperial Guard bureaucracy. Even with Darth Nox's writ, they had a lot of reservations about letting a non-Sith even land on Korriban – and, to top it all off,_ she was an alien_. She was stuck on the space station in orbit over Korriban. When the military bureaucrats had learned what she was hired to do, the Imperial Guard officers would invariably go up in arms.

She had spent several days going through the formalities of navigating the red tape of explaining her purpose for coming to Korriban, and each day she fell further behind schedule. And every day that she'd meet with a bureaucrat, would be with a different but higher ranking Imperial Guard officer. The horror and disbelief on the officers' faces were the same every time the officer interviewing her realized what she was there to do.

Today, she sat before a general officer. He was the commander of all Imperial Guard forces on Korriban, on the orbital space station, and of other outposts throughout the Korriban solar system. He'd flown up from the planet's surface specifically for this meeting.

The previous day, it was a colonel who'd conducted the interview. After her meeting, Wrehn figured that the next day she would probably meet with a general officer for her interview. So, she decided to come dressed to impress.

The next day, after realizing who sat across the desk from her, Wrehn thought to herself, "_It's a good thing I decided to dress up._"

She figured a general officer would be next to conduct the interview, but she didn't think it would be the overall commanding general of all Imperial Guard forces in this solar system.

She came dressed in a very stylish, high quality dark grey collarless three piece business suit, and stylish dress shoes. She armed herself only with a concealable back-up mini blaster pistol strapped to the left side of her chest under her suit jacket. She wore her jet black hair brushed straight back and done in a simple ponytail.

Like the officers before him, he wore the crimson uniform of the Imperial Guard. His was a little different, however. While the other officers wore heavy plate-like crimson armor and carried blaster rifles, he wore flexible medium crimson armor with a heavy crimson cape and was armed with an Imperial Army standard issue blaster pistol and two vibroknives, one on his belt and one on his boot.

Like the officers before him, he read the writ from Darth Nox on her datapad. Its authenticity had already been confirmed and re-confirmed. Then he listened patiently to her plan of action.

His reaction, however, was different from the officers before him. He calmly slid the datapad across the desk top to her.

He told her, "I need permission to allow this. Wait here."

The general got up and walked out of the duty office.

With a pang of worry, Wrehn imagined her 2,000,000 credit bounty evaporating into nothingness.

She thought to herself, "_I hope I won't have to call Nox to tell him I couldn't do the job..._"

She had been playing a game of solitaire on her datapad to pass the time when the general returned an hour later with a colonel in tow.

He said to Wrehn, "Permission has been granted. However, you and your crew will be ushered to the academy grounds on an Imperial shuttle craft. You will not create a scene, nor taunt anyone while there. You will wait quietly for Lord Harkun to meet you outside on the Academy grounds, but not at the Academy itself.

"When he arrives, you may conduct your business with him. Please conduct your business expeditiously. Upon the conclusion of your business, you will be ushered back here to the orbital space dock, and you will then promptly depart Korriban space. Do you understand?"

Yehw'reh'nomai answered, "Yeah, I understand, but I got one question."

The general said, "Ask."

She asked, "Is there any chance I can hire some of your troops? Extra firepower never hurts."

If the general felt at all insulted, peeved, or other wise perturbed by her question, he concealed it rather well.

Instead, he replied in a calm tone, "No. There is no chance."

Wrehn, expecting that answer, said, "Well, I had to ask. You never know. You might get what you ask for. Right?"

The general remained silent, looking at the Chiss bounty hunter with a blank expression.

Wrehn, getting up from her seat, thought, "_That face could win a lot of sabacc games._" Aloud, she announced, "Then I'm ready to go. Just let me suit up and get my crew and equipment."

The general turned to the colonel and ordered, "Take her and her crew planet-side, and then return when it's done. I expect a detailed report. Also, whatever happens, stay out of it. You are there only to escort them to the surface and back again, and to keep them out of the tombs while on the surface. Do I make myself clear?"

The colonel straightened to attention, stomped his boot and acknowledged, "Yes, General!"

After the general left the duty office, the colonel relaxed and spoke to Wrehn, telling her, "It's night time where you need to go, so you're not going anywhere just yet."

Wrehn replied, "That's O.K. Just get us on the surface at the crack of dawn. We could us all the daylight we can get to set up."

The colonel replied, "That works for me. Have your gear and team at space dock Cresh seventeen (C-17) ready to load up onto the shuttle. It'll be there promptly at zero two (02:00), station time, and depart at zero three. We'll be landing in Korriban Spaceport at zero four."

Wrehn acknowledged, "Got it. We'll be on time."

The colonel nodded his head once and then left the duty office. Wrehn was not far behind him. Stepping out the door, she made her way to her ship, which was berthed in space dock Cresh fifteen.

* * *

At 04:00 station time, which also happened to be local time, the Imperial short hop shuttled landed. Wrehn and her crew disembarked from the shuttle onto a tiny, single ship landing pad with no buildings, roads, nor any other kind of facility, not even lighting.

It was dark. The pad was dimly lit by the star-filled sky.

Wrehn gave a small low chuckle, thinking, "_This is it? This is the famous Korriban Spaceport?_"

Two articulating tracked ground troop carriers were waiting for Wrehn and her crew on the sand adjacent to the landing pad. The shuttle crew had set up portable spot lamps to illuminate the area of the landing pad between the back of the space shuttle, and the ramp at the back of Wrehn's ground transport. Her crew then spent the next hour transferring their gear from the space shuttle onto their troop carrier before they got aboard it themselves.

Predawn broke over the eastern horizon. The landscape was quickly lighting up with the brightening sky. The shuttle crew had already recovered their spot lamps, and were preparing to launch back into space. Wrehn took a moment, before boarding the troop transport, to look around. She found, as the sky brightened, that the desert was all red.

It was flat hard packed red sand, with small patches of loose red sand, scattered here and there. Clouds of red dust, just starting to get kicked up by the quickly warming air currents, puffed here and there. The entire landscape was flat, as far as the eye could see. Small, stumpy, scraggly, dried up vegetation sparsely dotted the flat red landscape all the way out to the horizon in all directions.

"_Korriban Spaceport. Huh?_" Wrehn mumbled with a wry smile.

Red armored Imperial Guard troops, who'd been standing rigidly at their posts around the landing pad and around the ground vehicles, began to march, just as rigidly, up the ramp of the other troop carrier. They'd been carefully watching her crew until her people had boarded their ground transport. The colonel, guiding Wrehn and her crew, boarded the passenger side of a command speeder. The column, consisting of a command staff speeder and two armored troop carriers, got moving.

It was slow going, but after several long hours going cross country, across open red sands, through red craggy canyons and ravines, over red rocky hills and ridges, the ramp at the back of the troop carrier finally dropped. Wrehn and her crew disembarked, glad to stretch their legs. They wasted no time, however, and got right to work.

Wrehn half expected to see Harkun there to ambush her team, but he was not anywhere to be seen. She watched as the colonel, escorting her team, got out of his command speeder and stretched his legs. As his own troops deployed, with parade precision, from their own articulated tracked ground troop carrier, the colonel finally began to approach Wrehn.

Her people had been unloading various tool boxes, a couple of tons of specialized equipment and components, as well as a couple of heavy duty general purpose work droids, which as before, had helped with the heavy lifting.

When the colonel got close enough to speak conversationally, he told her, "Wait here. I'll send a messenger in to deliver your challenge to him." With that, he turned and walked right back to his speeder, got back in, and ordered his driver, "Go."

Wrehn figured the poor driver would end up being the messenger.

She thought, "_I should call odds and take bets..._" She changed her mind, thinking, "_Nah. There won't be any takers._"

As the speeder departed, Wrehn took a look at the local time, on her chronometer.

"_Ten hundred. What a long assed ride! Wonder why the shuttle didn't just drop us off, here?_"

Wrehn finally got a good look around. She was stunned as she came to realize she was seeing a sight very few non-Sith ever got to see. She found herself between two rows of giant red stone statues, apparently of slaves standing, with each row of slaves facing the other row, and with their heads bowed low.

The giant statues were all carved out of the mountain that used to be where the statues now stood. A few of the statues' heads had apparently broken off, and shattered into pieces at the statues' feet. Some of the statues had also lost parts of their shoulders, which had also crumbled at their feet.

The two troop carriers began crawling away, leaving their wide tread marks on the red sand as they kicked up huge clouds of red dust. The red armored Imperial Guards, escorting Wrehn's crew, moved away from where her crew was setting up. They left on foot, their rigid, parade precision, had gone with the colonel. They moved off to about a half kilometer to keep watch of her crew as Wrehn got them to work setting up the trap.

She turned around to face in the direction the colonel had gone in his speeder, and was breath-taken by the mountain sized red stone pyramid that was the Sith Academy. She wasn't at the bottom of the ramp, but its huge size became apparent when she realized she could barely make out the dust kicked up by the colonel's speeder as he and his driver made their way to the structure.

The pyramid towered as high as the mountain sized statues. The two rows of slave statues led to the pyramid, which was several tens of kilometers away. Wrehn estimated each statue to be approximately nine hundred to a thousand meters high, and about seven hundred meters apart from the next statue. The two rows of statues were themselves about seven hundred meters apart.

She wondered, in awe, to herself, "_How many slaves, how many generations to carve all of this out from the mountain?_"

It dawned on her, and she thought, "_These academy grounds are huge, if we really are on the academy grounds._"

Wrehn was startled at how much time had gone by with her sightseeing.

She hollered at her crew, "Back to work! Quit goofing off! There ain't enough time to gawk around!"

She smirked at herself when she realized everyone was hard at work setting up the trap, and that she was the only one gawking around. A few hours had passed, and the work was done. She inspected the trap, and found that it was not obviously visible.

"_Good!_" She thought to herself. Then she joked with her crew, "Try not to knock over any of the statues when we get to shooting, yeah?"

One of her crew, a Houk, answered, as though disappointed, "Awe! You read my mind! I was looking forward to knocking one of 'em over into the next one. You're no fun."

Before she could reply to that, another of her crew, a Human female with cyber implants warned the crew.

"Heads up! Someone's coming from the pyramid."

Wrehn turned to look and saw that there were in fact, five speeders approaching. One was about a kilometer ahead of the other four. Wrehn looked at her chronometer. It was 14:00.

She watched, as the first speeder stopped about two hundred meters from where her crew had set the trap. Her team were already spreading out and readying their weapons. She searched the terrain, but couldn't find her sniper, a Deveronian male.

"_Good. He's already in __position,_" she thought to herself.

Returning her attention to the lead speeder, she realized it was the colonel. He'd jumped out of his speeder and had planted a banner on the ground. After turning back and jumping into his speeder, he drove himself off in a tearing hurry to where his men had gone to keep an eye on Yehw'reh'nomai and her crew.

Wrehn thought, "_Poor driver didn't make it. I should have took bets!_"

The remaining four speeders slowed to a stop at the planted banner. Four Sith stepped out of their respective speeders.

Wrehn told her crew, via the short ranged audio link, "I had this speech ready for when he got here, but I don't think we'll get the chance to talk."

The Houk replied, "Good! Less yapping and more killing."

Another of her crew, a Human male Mandalorian, agreed saying, "Warriors only need to do battle to trade ideas."

The female with the cyber implants asked, "What ideas would you get if I pummeled your head a few times?"

The Mando answered, "That you like me!"

Cyber girl's rejoinder stung the Mandalorian, "It's obvious that you'd get the wrong idea, then."

The Houk laughed at the Mando, but became silent when Wrehn snapped angrily, "Shut your traps! We've got work, here!"

The four Sith unhurriedly approached the remaining two hundred meters on foot. Her crew had taken up firing positions behind portable anti-blaster bolt ray-shield generating barriers. She was the only one standing in the open. The Sith all approached her. When they got to about one hundred meters, Wrehn activated a theater-grade holo-projector. The four Sith stopped dead in their tracks.

The holo projector displayed a fifty meter high, high resolution, high fidelity color image of Darth Nox, standing and looking down at the Sith where they stood. Nox's high quality recorded message began to play loud enough to be heard much more than a hundred meters away.

"Lord Harkun. Did you think I would not learn of your treachery against me? You ungrateful worm! I spared your life despite your disrespect towards me! Years ago, when I was Kallig, Lord of the Sith, I came here to get my new apprentice from you. Do you remember? You called me ′_slave!_′

"You said it was accidental, that it was an old habit from when you used to be my Overseer, and I was an acolyte. I let the offense go. Later, after ascending to the Dark Council, I decided that you were still useful to the Empire, so I elevated _you_ to Lord of the Sith. Yet, all the thanks I got, for all of this, was your betrayal against me to my enemy, Darth Acina!"

Lord Harkun was stunned. The Sith who'd come to back him up were also in a state of shocked surprise as Darth Nox's message continued to play.

"I sent these pitiful hired thugs to humiliate you. I wanted you and everyone around you to see how pathetically weak you truly are. You are all snarl, Harkun! All snarl and no teeth! Soon, you and I shall speak face to face, Harkun!"

The recorded message ended.

Wrehn wore her open-faced helmet for this mission. Korriban was a desert, and deserts were usually hot, so she didn't want her face cooped up in a closed helm. It was hot enough under her Mandalorian armor without having her face baking under a full helm, too.

Wrehn shouted into a hand held voice amplifier, "Darth Nox wanted to know who else would dare betray him. So, if you're here to fight with Lord Harkun, then I gotta tell Darth Nox about it."

Wren watched as the Sith exchanged a few words with each other. The three Sith that had come to back Harkun stepped about fifty meters to one side, to get out the line of fire. They left Harkun to advance and face Wrehn and her crew alone. She was so relieved to see that her plan to intimidate the Sith had worked. With Harkun successfully isolated, she tried her next gambit. Wrehn knew the odds were long, but she tried talking, first.

She said over the voice amplifier, "Look. The job is for me to bring you in alive. Why don't you just come quietly? Maybe you can talk things over with your boss?"

Harkun ignited his lightsaber.

Wrehn thought aloud, as she cast the voice amplifier aside, "_I'll take that as a, _′_Fuck you!_'"

Harkun had become livid, his rage exploding into a blaze.

Incensed, he thought with profound incredulity to himself, "_Darth Nox has completely reviled me in the presence of my peers, and this alien filth thinks to talk me into surrender, also in their presence?!_"

Harkun could see, Wrehn's Chiss blue face under her helm.

He blasted back at her, "I will peel your filthy blue hide from your body and make it into a wall covering, alien filth!"

He charged in the attack.

Wrehn, the Mando, the Houk, and the cyber implanted Human all fired their blaster rifles at Harkun. As expected, he easily deflected the bright blue, yellow, red, and green blaster bolts with his saber. His rage and humiliation filled him with the power of the Dark Side. However, with his pride hurt, Harkun had allowed himself to underestimate the bounty hunters, and he allowed the Dark Side to cloud his perception.

He failed to notice three hypo-injector darts sailing, almost invisibly, towards his body from his right side and slightly to his rear. He was struck by all three. The darts pumped him full of tranquilizing drugs.

Wrehn didn't move from her spot. Harkun continued advancing, but he'd slowed drastically and began staggering towards her. He'd also begun failing to deflect some of the blaster bolts. His personal shield generator absorbed the energy, but was quickly depleting.

When he'd gotten to about fifty meters, Wrehn pushed a button on her arm guard. Four pneumatic lift polls shot up out of the ground, lifting the four corners of a metal cable net from under the red sand and high off the ground. Harkun's legs and arms slipped through the net's openings.

He was ensnared and suspended three meters above the ground. Before he could cut the net with his saber, Wrehn pushed a second button which electrified the net. Harkun, shaking and writhing uncontrollably in the electrified net, dropped his lightsaber which deactivated when it hit the ground.

A push of the first button again, and the pneumatic polls retracted back into the ground. Harkun was writhing on the ground, but he was starting to overcome the electricity and began to move with purpose as he had also begun to fight off the effects of the massive doses of sedatives.

Wrehn shouted, "Apprehension team, move!"

The two heavy duty work droids had already been moving towards Harkun the moment the net ensnared him. Wrehn's command to move out was unnecessary. One of the droids had grabbed Harkun, from the front just as he'd stood on his feet again. It held Harkun in a bear hug, while the other droid had quickly placed a shock collar onto the back of his neck and secured it in place.

The second work droid stepped back from Harkun just in time to avoid Harkun's attack. Harkun blasted the first droid, holding onto him, with The Force. Its arms flew off, and the droid was blown backwards, slamming into the red sand. Just as Harkun reached his hand towards Wrehn, to blast her with Force Lightning, she activated the shock collar.

Harkun fell onto his face, unconscious. The Houk and the Mandalorian both rushed forward, as Wrehn cut the electrical current flowing through the metal cable netting. The two lifted Harkun's unconscious form and removed him from the net and onto a bare patch of hard packed red sand, laying him on his back.

Wrehn stepped forward as her team members moved back from Harkun, lying unconscious on the ground. She aimed the nozzle of a portable carbonite freeze dispenser to freeze Harkun before he could regain consciousness. However, at the last possible instant, on impulse, she put down the device and proceeded to move the unconscious Harkun's arms and legs. Then, retrieving the portable carbonite freeze dispenser, she froze him in a funny pose.

The female with the cybernetic implants had quickly prepared the carbonite freeze life support system and had it ready, but had to wait as Wrehn deviated from the plan.

She chided Wrehn, "That was pretty reckless, boss! What if he'd woke up before you froze him in time?!"

The Houk and the Mandalorian picked up Harkun's frozen form and carried it over to the carbonite freeze life support system and stood him in the device's support frame. The system was automated. It filled in the rest of the space within the support frame with carbonite and initiated life support functions. All Wrehn and her crew had to do was watch.

The Mandalorian said to the cyber implanted female, "Our jobs wouldn't be fun, if Yehw'reh'nomai always did things as planned."

The Houk laughed raucously, declaring, "For once, I agree with Goody-two-shoes, here!"

The Deveronian, returning from his sniping perch, looked at the frozen Harkun, now in a slab of carbonite, and simply laughed at what he saw. Wrehn noticed that the three Sith had been approaching her crew. It worried her greatly.

She snapped at her crew, "Take cover! Trouble may be coming!"

As her crew dispersed and took up new firing positions, she cursed herself for impulsively posing Harkun. Too late, she realized it might enrage the Sith. The three Sith stopped in front of the carbonite frozen Harkun. After a long silence, one of them finally spoke.

"So, the truth comes out. All along, as Darth Nox had said, Harkun was pathetically weak."

A second Sith, shaking his head in disgust, said to the first, "And to think I wanted to emulate - - _that_."

He spat on Harkun's carbonite frozen face.

The third Sith said, "Let's get away from here. The thought that a Sith fell so easily to this trash is too humiliating for me to bear." Looking at Wrehn and her crew, he observed in utter disgust, "Not even a scratch on any one of them."

As the three Sith walked off to their speeders, the colonel and his Imperial Guard troops returned, marching with such crisp precision, with the command staff speeder and the two troop carriers following in column, as though on parade with the troops. Meanwhile, Wrehn, her crew, and the remaining operational heavy duty work droid packed and loaded up their gear, the broken droid, and their bounty.

Wrehn thought to herself, "_2,000,000 credits. Easy!_"

Somehow, Harkun's lightsaber had gone unnoticed, half buried in the red sands of Korriban, and was left behind. His speeder was also abandoned in the wastes of Korriban's desert for some lucky scavenger to claim.

Half a day later, Wrehn was in her starship with her crew, her equipment, and her prize, leaving Korriban space for Ilum. She sent off a quick encrypted text message to her employer.

"_Mission complete. Will be arriving to the Ilum Star System within a few days. Please make arrangements for me to clear customs with my cargo, in a funny pose._"


	30. Knowing One's Place

Knowing One's Place

Darth Nox sent his two apprentices, Shahn Lunn and Juuldis Vannithana Resh to Korriban on a training mission. He knew the likelihood of one of them killing the other was high, but it was a risk he was willing to take to let them gain experience and become stronger in the Dark Side of The Force. It also strengthened the fiction he'd given them, that he'd intended to keep them as apprentices by sending them off to train.

He'd instructed Shahn, "Juuldis is ignorant of how the Sith operate. You will instruct her. I don't have the time nor the patience to instruct a former Jedi in the ways of the Sith. _You_ will do this. The experience should make you stronger as well. Jedi are very difficult pupils. They question everything you do or say, and can even cause you to doubt yourself."

Nox said that last part with Ashara in mind. He never got her to convert to the Dark Side of The Force, and she had caused him to question his own Sith teachings quite a number of times. However, Juuldis had already gone over to the Dark Side, even before he'd met her. He felt there was little danger of Shahn converting to the Light Side instead.

* * *

Juuldis, kneeling in front of an obelisk about four meters to the left of where her mentor knelt, watched as Shahn meditated and concentrated before the same ancient reddish stone obelisk. It was worn with centuries of weather. Its engraved inscriptions had faded. The hot Korriban sun beat down on the two Sith, as the hot winds buffeted them with the red desert's abrasive sands.

The inscriptions were difficult to make out, but Shahn's expertise in the archaeological field allowed her to make quick work of deciphering the ancient text. Now, however, was the hard part, which was to actually solve the riddle. Shahn had explained to Juuldis each verse of text, giving the literal translations and explaining the symbolic meanings of each.

The riddle had actually been solved quite a number of times over the centuries. However, its difficulty made it an excellent teaching tool that helped Sith, with advanced skill and knowledge in the application of The Force, to develop and strengthen the ability to _observe the distant past_ through the eyes of The Force. Shahn had explained Sith meditation techniques and the philosophy behind them, and explained how that would help them to see events of the ancient past.

Juuldis thought to herself, "_Aside from the differences in dogma, it's the same thing as what one would learn at a Jedi temple. I'm learning nothing new here._"

However, after hours of trying, she failed to see beyond herself. She'd only succeeded in reaching a state of calm_._

Shahn wore a tiny smirk, and her mocking eyes told Juuldis, "_I told you so._" Aloud, Shahn teased, "You didn't do what told you. So, you've failed." Then imperiously, Shahn commanded "Do it again."

Thanks to her state of calm, Juuldis succeeded in keeping her temper under control. She didn't want Shahn to know that she had been irked. It then dawned on Juuldis that Shahn came across to her as very Jedi-like. She was calm, and composed. On further reflection, she realized that even Darth Nox only seemed mildly irritable. He wasn't in a constant state of rage and hatred (Juuldis wasn't there when Nox had learned of Millie Kine's deception).

She wanted to ask Shahn about it, and began by making an observation.

"When I was a Jedi, I killed eight Sith..."

Shahn interrupted her, quipping, "... and if you survive, you'll kill many more."

Juuldis remained silent for a few heartbeats as she thought about the significance of what Shahn had just told her.

"_Survive what?_" She asked herself.

Shahn, realizing that Juuldis was going to say more, asked, "What were you going to say?"

Juuldis continued her line of thought, saying, "Every time I fought a Sith, he or she was filled with anger and hatred, but you are so calm - like a Jedi. So is Darth Nox. If you're so calm, where is your passion?"

Shahn laughed inwardly, thinking, "_My Stars! Do the Jedi only perceive us as brutish raving beasts?_" Aloud Shahn told Juuldis, "Passion is not only about filling yourself with dark emotions to gain power in The Force. Not many Sith keep themselves in a constant state of rage, and those that do, usually burn out before too long. They usually self destruct."

Shahn thought a bit and continued, "Passion is about enjoying your life. Enjoying your company, your livelihood." She thought a bit more and added, "I am an archaeologist. This..." Shahn waved her hand at the ancient obelisk before them as she spoke, "... is _my passion._ It brings me great joy, and a rush of excitement when I make new discoveries. I'm filled with pride for my accomplishments, and I guard the credit for my accomplishments quite jealously. Those, too, are strong emotions, and those feelings also empower me."

Shahn continued her impromptu lecture, elaborating on how a well balanced Sith would use their emotions.

"I steal myself for battle, and fill myself with hatred for my opponent and with fury against my enemy. However, at all times, I maintain a calm exterior. If my enemies are unable to read my feelings, then I have an advantage. However, if an enemy is as powerful as say, _Darth Nox_, that foe can feel your emotions, no matter how calm you keep your exterior."

From this, Juuldis understood that she had blundered foolishly, by letting her emotions out in the open. She had believed, erroneously, that in embracing one's emotions, one should let them out for all to see. Juuldis understood now, that this was a mistake. She resolved to return to minding her thoughts and to masking her feelings, especially from her new master.

Juuldis saw the irony, thinking to herself, "_The Jedi teach, to mind one's thoughts and to subdue one's emotions. This, in order to hide from enemies, and to keep one from drifting towards the Dark Side._ _The Sith on the other hand teach to mind one's thoughts and to mask one's emotions. This, in order to keep their intentions hidden from their enemies and to immerse one deeper into the Dark Side._"

Juuldis let out a snort as she came to a comical conclusion, "_The same lesson is taught by both Sith and Jedi, but for different reasons._"

Shahn had been speaking, but had stopped when she heard Juuldis give out a snort.

She said sarcastically and with obvious irritation, "_Please, do let me know when I start to bore you._"

Juuldis replied, "If you become a bore, don't worry, I'll tell you just how boring you've become."

Shahn spoke tersely, telling Juuldis, "I'll save you the trouble. If you need to giggle and snort at what I'm teaching, then obviously you don't need any advice that I have to give."

Juuldis decided to ignore Shahn's complaint, instead asking Shahn, "_You said, 'enemies, like Darth Nox.' Does that mean you consider him your enemy, and not your master?_"

Shahn became silent, and her expression became serious. She realized her words, if repeated to the dark lord, could result in her demise. Her eyes drifted away from Juuldis' as she thought carefully before replying.

After a moment's reflection, she told Juuldis, "Darth Nox _is my master_. He has taken me on as _his apprentice_, and he has begun my training in the darker secrets of Sith sorcery. However, that does not mean he is benevolent. I must always be careful of what he is teaching me. I must be ever mindful, that even as I learn the deep secrets of Sith sorcery, which he will reveal to me, that I do not become an unwitting pawn in his own dark schemes."

Juuldis waited for Shahn to say more. When she saw that Shahn had said her say, she simply shook her head in disbelief.

Juuldis said, "That is the most paranoid line of thought I had ever heard. Why would Darth Nox spend so much time, and use up so many resources only to _'trick you'_ in the end? That simply does not make any sense."

Shahn went a step further for emphasis, and to bait Juuldis.

"Darth Nox hates us both. He does not care which of us will succeed, or which will die. He has plans for something big, and only one of us will fulfill his plans. And as for the other...?"

Shahn shrugged to show that the other's fate was an uncertain future.

Shahn smiled inwardly as she saw in Juuldis' eyes, that she had taken the bait.

She told Juuldis, "We are here to prepare for that time when it comes."

Juuldis surprised and startled Shahn when she suddenly sprung to her feet, leapt back and, grabbing her sabrestaff, ignited it.

She shouted with a snarl on her face, in a vicious tone, "Then if I kill you now, I won't have to compete with you for his favor. Am I right?!" Juuldis thought to herself, excitedly, "_That's what she meant by, If I survive!_"

Juuldis, thinking she understood, told Shahn, "If I kill you now, it won't be a toss up of who gets tricked by Nox, because he'll only have one apprentice left! He won't want to trick me, because he won't have another apprentice to get rid of. Am I right?!"

Shahn laughed inwardly at Juuldis, even as adrenaline rushed throughout her body. She trembled with excitement, and the thrill of the coming battle, but she maintained a calm exterior and hid her excitement from Juuldis.

Shahn thought of Juuldis, "_So gullible!_"

Shahn had to remind herself, her goal was to trick Juuldis into continuing to believe that there was great power to be gained from the artifact. Juuldis did not yet understand that the artifact was in fact, only a prison. Shahn stood slowly, carefully, so as not to provoke Juuldis. She then turned to face Juuldis.

Even though Juuldis was crouched, with her sabrestaff at the ready, Shahn still had to look up at the Amazonian.

She told Juuldis, "It would be an easy thing for you to defeat me. If you can fight Darth Nox, and give him a hard time, then my skills are no match for you. But then, how will you learn to prepare for his plans? Our master has charged me with preparing myself, as well as with training you for that day. You will miss out on vital knowledge.

"Even if Darth Nox had only you for an apprentice, the fact will remain that you will not be ready for his plans. Don't delude yourself into thinking that the dark lord will go out of his way to teach you anything. If he were going to teach you, he wouldn't have charged me with the task."

For not one instant did Shahn believe that Juuldis could easily defeat her, but she wanted to lay her trap. Thus, Shahn played to Juuldis' weakness, her pride. However, Shahn prepared herself in case Juuldis did not bite. Shahn carefully built up her power, masking it so that Juuldis would not sense it, and prepared to strike Juuldis with a powerful bolt of Force Lightning as Juuldis began to encircle her.

Shahn began to feel that her trap had failed, and was chagrined that she might have to kill Juuldis. To Shahn, Juuldis was centrally important to her own survival against Nox and his designs for his apprentices. Juuldis, again surprised Shahn, when she suddenly deactivated her sabrestaff, straightening from her crouch, and forcing Shahn to tilt her head further back, as she looked up at her.

Juuldis, looking down at her diminutive mentor, asked with disdain in her tone, "If you are so sure that I am stronger than you, and you are so sure I can kill you so easily, then why are you my mentor? Why do I have to follow you? Maybe you should be following me instead, eh?"

Shahn replied, "Because I have been Sith longer than you, and because I am more knowledgeable of Dark Side Force techniques, Sith traditions and Sith ways, but more importantly, because it is Darth Nox's will."

Shahn added, after a pause, "It is _why_ I teach you. It is _his will_. I would rather let you flounder and sink than to train my rival. But I have no say in the matter, and neither do you! We _must_ obey our master! To defy the dark lord is to court death."

Shahn waited to see what Juuldis would do next.

Juuldis thought of her rival, "_Shahn sells herself short. My former padawans were no slouches, and she killed Framm, a master of the Djem'so and Juyo lightsaber combat forms._"

Juuldis realized she did not know enough of Sith culture, Sith traditions, nor of Sith teachings to get by on her own, or so she had been made to believe. She had to acknowledge what _she believed_ was the truth of what Shahn had told her. Juuldis was not accustomed to the levels and the layers of deceit that Sith regularly employed against one another. Shahn recognized this, and was taking full advantage of it.

Juuldis reflected, "_Shahn is right. Nox, only very grudgingly teaches me anything at all._"

Juuldis recalled that at one point he did snap at her, "Go ask Shahn! I'm busy!"

Juuldis admitted aloud, introspectively, "Yeah, it's true. I won't get far, because I don't know enough about the Sith and their ways."

However, steel returned to her eyes, and she promised, "I'm gonna change that. One day, I'm gonna know enough to get by, and when I do, you had better get out of my way, or I'll kill you."

Shahn became infuriated by Juuldis' brazen disrespect towards her, but she took solace in knowing that her trap had worked. Now all she needed to do was let Juuldis _win the privilege_ of accessing the artifact Darth Nox had found on Taris.

Shahn answered Juuldis, mockingly, "Do not worry, I'll move out of your way. You are reckless, and you will destroy yourself. I won't even need to lift a finger as you self-destruct."

Juuldis let out a snort and said derisively, "I didn't know Sith could be so damned timid! I'll work with you because I have to."

Shahn asked in amazement, "Do you not fear Darth Nox? You breath at his pleasure. You realize this?"

Juuldis said hotly, "He breaths until I get what I want!"

Shahn burst into laughter. She pointed at Juuldis, and shook her head, as her laughter began to grate on Juuldis' nerves.

Juuldis warned Shahn, "You keep laughing at me, and I'll make you regret it."

Shahn's laughter subsided, but her mocking sneer remained.

Shahn said, shaking her head in disbelief, "You are delusional, but I will not be the one to show you this. You will see and understand for yourself one day. I just hope Darth Nox will not kill me before then. I want to see the surprise in your eyes when the truth makes itself apparent to you."

Shahn had enough of the acrimony, and spoke sternly to Juuldis, before Juuldis could reply.

"Enough of this useless talk! We must solve this riddle before returning to Darth Nox, and I do not intend to return empty handed. I _told_ you what you must do. I _read_ the text for you and told you their meanings. Now meditate, and solve the riddle." With scorn in her eyes, Shahn added, "I will not share the answer with you."

Shahn turned away from Juuldis and towards the obelisk, then she knelt before it. However, she kept her eyes on Juuldis, waiting for her to do the same.

She waited to see if Juuldis would attack or begin her own meditations. Shahn was ready to strike if Juuldis attacked, but to her satisfaction, Juuldis returned to her spot and knelt before the obelisk.

The tension between the two Sith had dissipated, and both Sith resumed their meditations. This time, however, Juuldis followed Shahn's teachings and, this time, she began to unravel the mystery of the riddle. She saw that dogma really did have an important part in differentiating between Sith and Jedi meditation techniques and their results.


	31. A Meeting With An Old Aquaintance

A Meeting With An Old Acquaintance

Nox followed Talos to Dromund Kaas two weeks after he'd left Nox's presence. Nox had brought all of his belongings with him from the Ilum orbital space dock, including his Rakata mind trap. At the space port, his droids and slaves met the military transport that had brought Nox to Dromund Kaas.

There, his minions offloaded his belongings, trophies, spoils of war, and several hundreds of pieces of rare and highly sought after art that he'd collected, _or plundered_, while on his travels throughout the Sith Empire, and on his travels throughout the worlds contested by the Sith Empire in it's war against the Galactic Republic. Nox had also brought many dozens of pieces of Sith and Jedi artifacts that had real value to collectors of ancient artifacts, but which held no interest for him.

These held no dark power, nor did these hold any lost dark knowledge. These artifacts only held historical significance. Nox thought of those artifacts as ′_Junk,_′ to the profound chagrin of his archaeologists.

Those Sith and Jedi artifacts he felt warranted investigation, he left in the care of the archaeologists of the Imperial Reclamation Service, to be cataloged for study at their dig sites on the various worlds they'd been discovered. Those artifacts would later be shipped to the Imperial Reclamation Service headquarters, to be researched by Sith in his service at The Citadel.

The artifacts he thought of as ′_junk,_′ he took with him, breaking the hearts of his archaeologists, as he earmarked those relics for sale on the black market. Andronikos usually handled that part of his business, lining up buyers through surrogates, to help maintain Nox's anonymity. However, with Andronikos at Tandankin Shipyards, Nox decided to leave this matter to another servant.

Some weeks earlier, upon returning to the Ilum Orbital Station, Nox had learned that Andronikos had moved his ship to Tandankin Shipyards. As such, he had thought that Andronikos had also taken all of his loot with him. It was why he was so furious at the pirate.

However, Nox later learned that Andronikos had actually offloaded and stored everything at the Ilum space dock before taking the ship to the Tandankin Shipyards. That fact went a long ways towards easing his anger towards Andronikos.

Nox operated an _exotic merchandise_ business, selling his goods at auction or to specialty high-end art dealers throughout the galaxy in Imperial space and in Hutt space. He even sold some of his goods on Coruscant and other Republic aligned worlds.

In every case, throughout the galaxy, his agents withheld the fact that buyers were buying from Darth Nox. It was, after all, illegal to sell Sith and Jedi artifacts throughout most of the galaxy. However, in Republic space, his agents worked especially hard to keep secret the fact that retailers where buying rare original art from Darth Nox.

Despite the fact that Nox's ′_collected_′ art goods were ′_legitimate and legal_′ for trade in Republic space (that is, as long as they were not reported as stolen or plundered goods), they could still be treated as contraband. For example, if Republic customs officials could make a connection between the exotic art being imported, and Darth Nox as the importer of those goods, then it would all be confiscated as contraband.

It could also prove embarrassing for him, within the Dark Council. He would have to prove that his business dealings in Galactic Republic space did not benefit the enemy. Even then, such information could be damaging to his stature on the Dark Council.

His slaves and droids loaded cargo shuttles, which Nox owned. These shuttles would later ship his belongings to his various estates scattered all over Dromund Kaas. His many estates, throughout the planet, served as his personal storage and vaults.

They loaded his wares onto other cargo shuttles, which Nox leased. These wares were to be shipped to his warehouses which were also scattered in various cities and towns throughout the planet. At his warehouses, his wares would be appraised to determine their value, and then cataloged, before it was determined where, in the galaxy, those wares would go to be sold.

However, Nox left all of the activity in the spaceport hanger behind, and gave the responsibility of shipping, storing, cataloging, and pricing, of his goods, to the chief steward of his estates, an especially skilled Corellian accountant Nox had taken captive as a slave when he aided in the Empire's conquest of Corellia.

Despite the electroshock collar that kept the enslaved accountant on Dromund Kaas, and which tracked his every movement on the planet, Nox paid him very well. He even provided him with a private residence, a mansion with servants _and_ droids! Nox traveled directly from the spaceport to The Citadel in Kaas City, bringing the Rakata mind trap with him.

Much to Khem Val's disgust, he left the behemoth Dashade behind to guard his treasures. His master Wanted to ensure none of his slaves and servants, nor even the spaceport staff would steal from him.

Khem Val thought sullenly, "_Does my master forget his feud with his enemy? She may have traps set for him. Yet he squanders my power to guard mere trinkets and baubles!_"

* * *

The previous week at the Ilum orbital space dock, he'd read part of Captain Talos Drellik's encrypted report.

It read, "_It will work, Dark Lord! The interface was designed to be used in a prison with hundreds or thousands of mind traps stored within. Something like our super max prisons, housing hundreds or thousands of inmates frozen in carbonite, but in this case, it was mind traps._

"_While here, I spoke to some of my colleagues (without revealing the reasons behind my inquiries), and __read some Rakata documents, __which they'd recommended to me for study. The documents in question __relat__ed t__o the maintenance of the traps, and the requirement to allow the prisoners to speak to their families once each year as part of their sentence. It was __meant to force __them __to __see their families __as they __age__d__, and __as they __die__d__ off __over time._

"_The goal, u__ltimately was to __force __solitude __onto the inmate for the rest of his days. Solitude, n__ot only in the __mind trap,__ but __socially enforced solitude. Everyone the inmate knew would have died off, leaving the prisoner truly alone.__  
_

"_Normally, after about a century, the convict was released into a cloned body_ _w__ith __no __force sensitivity, and returned to Rakatan society as a lowly commoner without force abilities __and as an outcast with no social connections__. __The solitude continued after the prison term had been served..._"

There was more in the report, but Nox didn't care about the rest. What mattered to him was that his mind trap would work with the interface on Dromund Kaas._  
_

As Darth Nox alighted from his speeder at the entrance to The Citadel, he observed that about a week just shy of two months had gone by since he'd killed Ashara. Thinking of her reminded him that his primary estate, the one he and his family actually lived in, at the top of _Dromund__ Tower,_ was just over a few kilometers away and that his two children were there. Nox turned to look in the direction of his residence.

He could see it in the distance, and it made him feel homesick as he thought of his children. He began to miss his children terribly, and felt a great desire to go see them, but he pushed the thoughts of his children, and that of his deceased wife, Ashara, out of his mind.

Instead, he called to mind that there was only one month left before the Dark Council meeting on Korriban was to take place. All was set for him to present his case to discredit Acina before the Dark Council, and to effect his formal takeover of Taris from Acina. There was, however, one other detail he had to see to before the Dark Council meeting - _Zash_.

* * *

Nox, smiling and brimming with anticipation, walked the labyrinth of corridors deep in the lower levels of The Citadel. He navigated the maze of corridors, offices, and turbolifts that lead to the section which housed the Imperial Reclamation Service's vaults, archives, laboratories, and libraries.

He looked forward to teasing his former master, Zash. However, he looked forward even more to bringing her before the Dark Council for _re-introductions_. He looked forward to cowing the other Dark Councilors and gaining dominion over them.

Nox reveled in his triumphant success in locating and in safely retrieving the Rakata mind trap containing the consciousness of his former master. He reveled in his coming triumph over his hated enemy, Darth Acina. Soon the Dark Council would give their vote of no confidence, and Acina would be disgraced. Nox knew that following the vote of no confidence, that shortly thereafter, one of her followers would assassinate Acina, and that he would be further elevated in the eyes of his fellow dark councilors.

He knew that he would emerge as ′_the Sith to fear_′ within the Dark Council, second only to the Emperor. His excitement rose at the thought that he'd taken a very huge leap closer to realizing his ambition of ruling over the other Dark Councilors.

Nox knew that when they had all come to think that he'd brought a dead Sith lord back from beyond The Force, that their fear of him would become palpable. Nox knew it would be a mere subterfuge, smoke and mirrors.

As Nox thought of it, all that he would have accomplished would have been to use rediscovered ancient Rakata technology to bring Zash out of her prison. The other Dark Councilors didn't need to know any of those details. Naturally, they would all think that he'd figured out some dark ritual for bringing the dead to life again.

Nox knew their fear of him and their fear of his ′_Dark Side power_′ would be so great, they'd practically kneel to him. In a low tone, Nox laughed in exultation.

"Heh, heh, heh..."

Darth Nox was so lost in his thoughts, that he didn't notice the four Sith following him and his entourage of security droids and medium duty work droids. He'd badly dropped his guard, again. And Khem Val was not with him to keep him safe from his own blunders. The four launched into their attack.

Two, quickly began their destruction of his security droids, while the remaining two used dark Force rituals to directly attack Nox. However, they'd miscalculated. Darth Nox didn't need the security droids for protection. He used them as distractions.

He didn't understand why, but in his experience, ambushers always seemed to begin their attacks by destroying the guards protecting the principal target, _him_. As soon as the first droid was in the process of getting demolished, Nox was forcibly wrenched to the here and now.

Darth Nox took immediate action.

Acting on instinct, and years of experience as a target of assassins, he spun around to face his enemies, shielding his mind and his being with The Force as he turned. Then he executed a massively powerful Force Push that sent all of his remaining security droids and the two Sith assassins nearest him, flying into the remaining two assassins twenty meters down the corridor. The metal plated walls, floor, and ceiling in the corridor in front of him, were all blown concave. He'd actually caused structural damage to the building.

With his work droids hurriedly moving on ahead with the mind trap safe in it's suspension crate, Nox remained behind to protect his prize. The four Sith were badly shaken up by Nox's overwhelming power. Having lost the element of surprise, the four attempted to flee, but Nox didn't let them escape.

A terrible storm of lightning issued from his hands as he walked quickly towards them. The corridor before him was filled with arcing bolts of electrical Force energy. The lights in that section of the corridor had all burned out, leaving a section of the corridor in darkness for a brief period before the red emergency lights came on.

The four assassins were badly electrocuted, and had all fallen in tangled heaps with the broken and shorted out security droids. They writhed on the electrified metal floor plating of The Citadel's lower depths, as Nox approached.

Nox used The Force to pin them to the floor, crushing them under terrible pressure and causing the metal plated flooring to groan under the weight of The Force. The four could not breath, and were gasping for breath. He interrogated them.

"Who sent you to your deaths?"

One of the assassins made as though to answer. Nox allowed that one catch his breath to speak, while the others continued to suffocate.

He told Nox between gasps for air, "We acted... on... our own. No... no one.. sent us."

Nox furiously commanded, "Tell me who your master _is!_"

Nox used his newly developed technique for interrogations. It was the same variation of Force Persuasion he'd used on Millie Kine, to fill the assassin's mind with the very realistic illusion of Darth Nox repeatedly piercing him with one end of his ignited sabrestaff. The Sith screamed in agony.

After only a few seconds of the imaginary torment, he relented and confessed, "Darth Acina is our master!" Then he begged, weeping in abject misery, "Please, end our lives quickly!"

Nox did exactly that, using a Dark Force technique that quickly drained all four assassins of their life force. The four died very quickly.

Nox turned, and hurried to catch up to his mind trap and the droids transporting it. Imperial troops came running down the corridor, towards Darth Nox, in response to a dispatch to investigate a battle that had erupted between Sith. The Imperial soldiers stopped and stood at attention on either side of the corridor to let Nox pass.

Nox stopped and asked, "Who is in charge of this detail?"

One of the men stomped his boot and spoke, "I am, Dark Lord!"

Nox ordered him, "Tell the chief of security, for the Imperial Reclamation Service, that a complete audit must be done to re-assess the security measures in place in our sector. Four Sith assassins have entered _my domain_ and attempted to kill me. Tell him to be sure to make changes to correct this problem. Tell him, that if I have to speak to him in person about this matter, that I'll simply kill him and have him replaced."

The corporal in charge of the security team stomped his boot and snapped, "Yes, Dark Lord!"

* * *

Nox had caught up with his droids, and after inspecting the suspension crate and its contents, escorted them the rest of the way to a stark white quarantined clean-room. Talos Drellik was already there. He was properly dressed in the required clean-room attire, white coveralls complete with a white bonnet to keep his hair from contaminating the clean-room and white booties to cover his boots.

Captain Drellik had gotten things ready, first ordering the technicians to remove the mind trap that was already attached to the interface, having them set it aside at the far wall of the clean-room, and then setting up the telemetry sensors for the coming experiment. He then excused all but the most essential personal from the quarantined clean-room. All he needed was the mind trap Nox was bringing, to get things started.

When Darth Nox entered, Talos' heart began pounding as he took immediate note that Nox's hair was disheveled and that he smelled of ozone. Talos quickly looked Nox over, and then he quickly inspected the suspension crate and its contents.

When he was satisfied that Nox and the mind trap were both unharmed, he asked, "Dark Lord, are you alright? What has happened?"

Nox bent down a little, to looked into a reflective surface nearby to see if he were cut and bleeding again. He was not.

Nox, straightening his hair, replied, "It was an ambush, a security breech within the Imperial Reclamation Service's sector in The Citadel. It's being taken care of."

Neither Talos nor any of the other staff made the effort to ask Nox to get into white coveralls. It just wasn't worth the risk to their lives to keep contaminants from entering the clean-room, but they all anguished over it.

Nox, having straightened his flamboyant topknot, stood straight again and turned to look at Talos and the others. He had sensed their anxiety, and wondered what was bothering them, but he didn't ask.

Instead Nox asked, "Is everything ready? Can we begin?"

Captain Drellik replied, "Yes, my lord. We need only to attach your mind trap to the interface and then activate it." Talos added, "Please, make yourself comfortable, Dark Lord, while I get things set up."

Talos did what he could to protect the clean room.

Indicating with his hand and guiding Nox in an accommodating manner, he said to Darth Nox, "This way, Dark Lord. You can sit here and rest, while I and my staff get things set up for you."

He led Nox to an area well away from the ancient Rakatan equipment and the telemetry sensors set up near it.

He told the dark lord, "I'll advise you when we're ready to activate the interface."

Nox found a white chair behind a white desk and sat in a corner of the clean-room quite a ways from the center of activity. He watched as Talos got things ready, but Talos, being the consummate professional archaeologist and scholar that he was, took careful notes at every step of the way. It was taking a lot longer than Nox had anticipated, but he let Talos work. Nox was not one for sloppy work, and he respected Talos' methodical nature.

Talos, approaching Nox, finally announced, "All is in readiness, my lord."

Darth Nox asked Talos in a very low voice, "These technicians, here…,"

Nox gestured with his hand to indicate the few remaining staff that Talos permitted to remain. They were at work calibrating the telemetry sensors, which would record the data of the coming experiment.

Then Nox continued, "… do they know who is in that prison?"

Talos whispered back, "No, Dark Lord. They will be quite surprised when they find out."

Nodding his satisfaction, and again in a low tone, Nox said, "Good. I don't want anyone to know. Send everyone out, but you may stay to observe and to make your scientific recordings."

Talos bowed to the Dark Lord of The Sith and said, "As you wish, Dark Lord."

He went about dismissing the rest of the staff as they'd completed their tasks, making sure the telemetry devices they had been calibrating were turned on and recording. When Talos had made sure everyone had gone, he returned to find Darth Nox in front of the Rakata mind trap as he inspected it and its interface device.

Nox ordered Talos, "Activate it."

Talos replied, "As you say, my lord."

Nox took several steps back from the Rakatan equipment and the telemetry sensors, as Talos walked to the control console a ways away from the Interface and the mind trap, and went about flipping a few toggle switches, which connected power to the interface. Then, finally, Talos switched on the holographic projector that gave the mind, trapped inside, a holographic representation of itself based on the entity's _ideal of itself_.

Nox's heart raced with excitement as he thought to himself, "_There she is. My old master, __Darth __Zash!_"

Zash was in a state of shock. She was taken completely by surprise. She didn't expect to see anyone ever again.

She screamed, "Kill me! Get me out of this whiteness and kill me!" When she realized it was her old apprentice standing there, she pleaded more urgently, "Kallig, please, kill me!"

Nox was initially unnerved by Zash's strange outburst, but he quickly regained his composure and spoke imperiously.

"I am Darth Nox, a Dark Lord of The Sith. I am the overseer of the Sphere of Ancient Knowledge. I haven't gone by my old name, _Kallig,_ for several years since ascending to the Dark Council."

Zash became silent and remained that way for a time. When she spoke again, it was in an accusing tone that became more shrill as terror began to take over her being.

She exclaimed, demanding, "Then you only wanted to tell me that before leaving me here, _alone in the whiteness!?_ No… NOOOOO! Kill me! Kill me! I can't take it anymore! I want to stop. I want to die…. Please, end the whiteness…."

Nox did not at all expect the conversation to go this way. In his career as a Sith, Nox had spoken to three Rakatans who's minds had been similarly trapped. One on Tatooine (the Rakata in the mind trap from the Czerka dig site found on Tatooine, and now set aside at the far wall of the clean-room), and two on Belsavis.

They all seemed to be reasonable, a little batty perhaps, but not in a state of utter panic and terror. He'd decided that Rakatan minds worked differently than Human minds did. He'd also decided that he'd found a new tool for interrogation purposes.

Darth Nox hoped that she could be reasoned with, and he fervently hoped that she hadn't gone mad.

He asked Zash, "What if I can get you out of there and into a new body? Would you like that instead?"

Zash became silent again and remained that way for a much longer time. Nox studied her and began wondering if there was some kind of lag in their communications which might be caused by the interface, when at last she broke her silence.

She challenged Nox, demanding of him, "Why should I believe you? Can that really be done? Can you really get me out of here?"

She burst into laughter, but her laughter started to take on a hysterical tone. Then suddenly, her hysterical laughter became uncontrolled cries of utter grief.

She sobbed, "You're lying! You _can't_ get me out! Why don't you just kill me!? I'm begging you! Please..."

Nox said calmly, firmly, "I can get you out, and I will get you out. I already have two bodies lined up for you. They're both my apprentices, and they're both strong in The Force, but first I want something from you. What I want from you, is your unwavering obedience to _my will._"

Zash's sobs subsided as she studied Nox's countenance. Then, after a long pause, Zash slowly, carefully, got down onto her knees, and then bowing lower, put her hands onto the floor. All the while she kept her eyes on Nox's eyes, as though she'd expected Nox to laugh and declare, _Just kidding!_

Zash said, her voice quavering with fear of being disappointed, "I will be your servant. I will be your slave. Free me from this whiteness, my Dark Lord, my master."

Nox, encouraged by her ′_sane_′ response, pushed, "How do I know you will not betray me and run away after I've freed you?"

Zash's holographic image lowered itself even more. She bent her elbows, and even lowered her head to look down at his feet.

She said with such fervent earnestness, "I will worship you as a god! I will do your every bidding. I will not run, my dark lord. I swear it!"

It saddened Nox a little, even though he hated her, that his once proud, respected, and resourceful master had become a groveling wretch. To Zash's great relief, Darth Nox did not reply with, _Just kidding!_

What Nox said in reply was, "Very well. You'll have to put up being in there for a few more days. My apprentices are on their way here from Korriban. One of them will be your new vessel. In the meantime, I hope you'll be able to hold it together until then."

Zash groveled some more, "I am grateful my dark lord! Thank you! I will serve you well. You'll see, I will not fail you! I shall..."

Nox turned to Talos Drellik and spoke his orders, ignoring Zash's continued promises to obey her new master.

"No one is to enter this room until I say otherwise. You shall be the only one allowed to enter this room. Am I clear?"

Talos replied dutifully, "As you say, Dark Lord."

As Nox left a sobbing and whimpering Zash behind, it occurred to him, as he exited the quarantined clean-room, that it was starkly white in there.

He wondered to himself, as he made his way to his own offices, "_Just how much whiter is this whiteness that has so terrified her?_"


	32. Calaverous Gets Noticed

Calaverous Gets Noticed

Nox closed the report submitted to him by one of the Sith he'd sent to protect Darth Komo. Komo had killed three assassins and had sent the rest running, but he had been critically wounded. The Sith Nox had sent to protect him only succeeded in killing off the rest of Acina's assassins as they fled. They had failed to protect Komo.

Komo had been gravely wounded and was now under the watchful care of the medical staff at the Imperial Army's medical center in the _City of Kallig_, previously named _Imperial Settlement Number One_. He was not expected to survive. The news was too grave for Nox to realize that the Tarisian capital had been named after him. Darth Komo had remembered Nox's name from before his ascension to the Dark Council.

The report went on to state that Lord Vulgren had been assassinated as well. Lord Vulgren had killed one of his attackers and grievously wounded two others, but he'd succumbed to his wounds before medical aid could arrive to him. As before, the Sith bodyguards only succeeded in killing off the wounded assassins. There too, Nox's Sith servants had failed their mission.

Nox thought to himself, "_I should have left Khem Val with Komo._"

He sighed as he recounted that the situation was not at a complete loss.

"_At least all of her assassins were killed and my people still hold Taris, but it speaks very poorly of me that I was unable to protect my own people there..._"

Acina had struck at Nox, _hard_. This attack on Taris, and those weak assassins she'd sent against him the day before, was her answer to his hostile takeover of Taris. Nox came to realize those pathetically weak assassins sent to attack him were not really meant to kill him, but to intimidate him by sending him a message. '_I can reach you._'

The real damage was Nox's failure to protect his servants from his enemy. The other dark councilors, he thought of as weak, would learn not to fear him if he didn't take solid action after this. Nox was certain his other rivals on the Dark Council would gladly forget his triumphs on Taris, and instead focus on mocking his apparent weakness in the face of Acina's incursions.

Nox needed to send someone to Taris quickly to take over operations until he could find someone better suited to replace Komo, in case he died or remained incapacitated. He remembered Andronikos' report to him on the status of his ship's repairs. There was a Sith named on that report that had aided Andronikos to get the work started on his ship's repairs.

Nox brought up the report on his computer monitor and re-read it as he searched for that name.

_"Boss, I've got good news and bad news. I'll give the bad news first. Tandankin Shipyards had been dragging their feet about fixing your ship. I spelled it out to them, clearly, that it was YOUR ship, and that YOU wanted it back right away. I think they've had it real cushy here for a long time, because they didn't seem to understand that you don't say "no" to a Dark Lord on the Dark Council. But that's what I was getting __from them__ – __′__no__′__."_

Nox decided, "_It seems I need to pay Tandankin Shipyards' boardroom members a visit, to remind them of whom they serve._"

He read on, "_I ended __up __contacting one of your people__,__ Lord Calav__e__rous. __He's an administrator working for you. He helped me get the fire under their asses, and now things are back on track. On the one hand,…._"

Nox had read enough. He'd found the name he was looking for. He had 2V-R8 look up the name to have him summoned to his office deep in the bowls of The Citadel.

* * *

Nox had been waiting two hours in his office, nibbling from a piece of nerf's milk cheese and reading reports, when 2V-R8 signaled Calaverous' arrival.

Nox set the cheese aside, cleaned his hands and told his droid, "Send him in."

Calaverous entered the expansive and opulent office. He'd walked half way into the office and stopped to kneel before Darth Nox, who'd remained seated at his desk.

Calaverous said, "Dark Lord, I am deeply honored to be summoned before you. How may I serve my dark lord?"

Annoyance edged Darth Nox's tone as he observed, "It took you long enough to appear before me. Were you having a late lunch?"

Calaverous had been looking forward to this moment. It had come a lot sooner than he had anticipated, but it had come. However, to have the Dark Lord of The Sith begin the dialogue in this manner was very, very bad.

Calaverous had only one recourse, to tell the truth.

He said, forthrightly, "Forgive me, Dark Lord. I was in my home, in bed asleep, when I received the summons to appear before you. I showered and dressed as quickly as I possibly could." Calaverous added a white lie, "Then I drove my speeder above the posted speed limits to get here as fast as possible."

Darth Nox was shocked to hear that, from his servant, and turned his head to look at his desk chronometer. He had to move a stack of datapads from in front of it to see that it was the third hour of the morning. Suddenly, Nox felt his exhaustion.

He told Calaverous, "Never mind. I seem to have lost track of the time."

Calaverous felt his anxiety subside, as he replied, "Dark Lord, you are most gracious."

Nox ordered him, "Come closer, and sit there."

Nox pointed to a seat placed in front of his desk by 2V-R8 for this meeting. Calaverous rose to his feet and walked the rest of the way to Nox's desk and sat in the only piece of furniture in front of the desk.

Darth Nox pointed to a datapad on his desk top and observed, "You are quite the accomplished Sith. You were an investigator for Darth Thanaton, and now you're an administrator serving me. You've solved many problems in both capacities, and your own powerbase has grown considerably. You are strong."

Nox paused to let Calaverous speak.

Calaverous replied dutifully, "You honor me greatly, my dark lord. I do my best to bring glory to you and to the Sith Empire."

Nox told Calaverous, "Of all of the investigations you've conducted in your career, noted in your records, there was one that caught my eye."

Calaverous thought to himself, "_He finally remembers who I am._"

Nox asked, a wry grin on his face, "Did you and Kirnon ever solve Darth Skotia's murder?"

Calaverous kept a straight face as he replied, "No, Dark Lord. The killer of Darth Skotia has never been determined."

Nox's wry grin widened, as he reminded Calaverous, "But I confessed. Remember?"

Calaverous realized he had to be careful, here. Darth Nox seemed to be having a bit of fun, but his answer could still land him in a lot of trouble.

He said, straight faced, "Even if Lord Kirnon and I could believe that an apprentice, fresh from Korriban, could Kill Darth Skotia, we'd never be able to prove how." Then he quickly added, "But in hindsight, Dark Lord, I can clearly see that it is entirely possible. Your connection to The Force, and your affinity to The Dark Side makes it all clearer to me that you could have been telling the truth and not merely teasing us."

Darth Nox had had enough fun going over old times. He got to business, getting to the point.

"I summoned you here after reading your performance record and after reading about your assistance to my servant, Andronikos Revel. I have a job for you. It's only temporary until I find someone qualified to take over, but it's a good opportunity for you to show me what you've got."

Calaverous felt instant gratitude towards Andronikos Revel, and determined to show it by sending him a gift of a bottle of a very fine, very rare, very old and by definition, a _very, very_ valuable Alderaanian wine.

Lord Calaverous said, "I'll gladly accept any opportunity to show you my qualities, Dark Lord. What do you wish me to do?"

Nox said flatly, "I want you to go to Taris, and take over administering the Empire's reclamation and resettlement efforts there. Do you think you can do it?"

Lord Calaverous replied excitedly, "Dark Lord! You honor me greatly! I gladly accept this assignment, and look forward to giving you favorable results!"

Calaverous quickly reined in his excitement, as he remembered a crucial detail.

He asked, "However, Dark Lord, I do have a couple of questions, if my dark lord will permit me to ask."

Nox, waving his hand towards Calaverous, gave his permission.

"Ask."

Calaverous cautiously proceeded, "Doesn't Taris belong to, um..., Darth _Acina_?"

Nox's wry grin returned as he explained, "It's mine, now. This fact will be formalized in the next Dark Council meeting."

Actually, Darth Nox wasn't so sure anymore, considering what Acina did to his people on Taris. His smile diminished as he remembered that fact.

Calaverous then asked, "You wish me to send the current administrator, um..., _back_ to Dromund Kaas for, um..., _reassignment_?"

That was a euphemism. In reality, Calaverous realized he'd likely have to kill whomever the current administer was at the moment, since he'd likely refuse to step down.

Nox explained, "Acina tried to have him killed. He's recovering in a kolto tank in an army medical center. I'm sending you there to run things until he recovers." Nox added menacingly, "And listen, I don't want _anything untoward_ to happen to him. Do you understand me?"

Calaverous replied truthfully, "I'll be sure he is well protected, Dark Lord."

He didn't want Nox's wrath pointed at him, so he resolved to be sure that security would be made very tight at that army hospital.

Nox, feeling the weight of his exhaustion, decided to end the meeting.

He told Calaverous, "I'll send you all of the information you'll need, before you leave, to get you started upon your arrival on Taris. Leave as soon as possible and remember, Acina is my enemy, now. Watch your back. You are dismissed."

Calaverous rose from his seat and stepped to the side of it.

He bowed deeply and promised, "I will serve you well, Dark Lord. You shall not regret entrusting this assignment to me."

Nox said nothing more. He simply watched as Calaverous straightened from bowing and then turn to walk away.

As Calaverous walked to Nox's office door, he thought to himself, "_Ah! Then we are at war with Acina's powerbase..._"

Calaverous allowed himself a very small smile. He smelled opportunity there, too.

Nox was left alone in his office again as the door slid shut behind Calaverous. He reclined his chair, closed his eyes, and went to sleep. He dreamt of a time his two children hugged him and told him, '_Goodbye Papa! Bring lots of presents!_' In his dream, he wept because he knew he'd have to tell them about their mother.

As though thinking of her conjured her up, there she knelt, behind his kids, her hands on the shoulder of each of her children.

Smiling serenely, she said to him as she hugged them to her, "Fear not, my lord. They are One with The Force."


	33. We Are At War

We Are At War

Shahn Lunn knelt at the midway point in his office, with her right fist planted on Nox's rug. Her eyes were glued to the bottom edge of Darth Nox's desk where it met the floor. She could feel the heat of Nox's wrath pouring from him. He had been blasting her with his Dark Side aura. To Shahn, it was as though she stood in front of a blast furnace at a durasteel foundry without any protective shielding.

Nox got up from behind his desk and walked around to the front of it and stopped. He was still nearly thirty five meters from where she'd knelt. She could feel the power of his noxious aura increase as he had gotten closer to where she'd knelt.

It made her finally understand how truly hideous and monstrous his putrid, hate filled, aura was. He was furious because of what Shahn had told him. Shahn feared to look at him, so she focused her eyes on a spot on the rug, somewhere between where Nox stood and she knelt.

Nox asked in a low, menacing tone, "What do you mean, _you refuse?_"

Shahn felt as though she stood at the very threshold of death, but she held her growing fear in check as she began to shield her being from his malevolence with The Force. Shahn was deeply awed by Nox's raw power. She concentrated with all her will to increase her defenses, but she came to understand that it was a futile gesture. Shielding herself made no difference. Nox's aura blasted through unimpeded.

Shahn was left trembling fearfully as she saw for herself the true measure of the difference in power between she and her master. For the first time, she finally learned that she was utterly at his mercy. Any effort to defend herself would be an effort in futility.

Shahn continued to avoid looking at Nox's hate filled visage, and said with all the calm she could muster, "Dark Lord, I serve you faithfully, obediently, but I am not a fool. I know it is not possible to subdue a Force Ghost with the technique you've explained. I have known, for some time, that that Rakata artifact is just a prison, a mind trap, and that the only way to release a prisoner from a mind trap is to have a body prepared for it."

Nox was flabbergasted. He wondered how she'd learned of this.

He demanded, in deep surprise, "Did Captain Drellik tell you?!" Then more angrily, "Did you Force Persuade him into telling you?!"

Shahn, sweat running in rivulets under her robes and beading on her face and dripping from her nose and chin, replied cautiously, "My dark lord, recall that I am an archaeologist with the Imperial Reclamation Service. I've been studying the Rakata for many years. I went to the archives at the Imperial Reclamation Service offices, in the sub-levels below, and researched it all myself. This is how I confirmed my suspicions of your true intentions, my dark lord."

Looking down at the diminutive Shahn Lunn, kneeling at the center of his rug, Nox thought to himself, "_Another spectacular miscalculation on my part!_"

It increased his fury to think that his hubris could so easily blind him to what was painfully obvious. 

Nox kicked himself mentally, as he thought furiously, "_She's with the Imperial Reclamation Service! Foolish Nox! Of course she would learn the truth! How could I be so stupid!_"

Shahn could feel Nox's Dark Side aura magnify intensely, and began to believe that the dark lord had no upper limit to how much of the Dark Side's power he could call upon. She began to have trouble breathing and felt that she could go mad with fear at any moment.

Nox growled out in utter disgust, "Then you are useless to me!" His scornful eyes and his withering tone seemed to imply that Shahn was damaged goods, as he told her, "I have no need of you."

Shahn was shocked and startled on hearing Nox's rejection of her. Her head jerked up instinctively. Shahn imagined she would see Nox stretching his hand towards her, to end her life with a Dark Force ritual.

Instead, she found herself looking into his eyes and at his face. Nox's facade dripped with his utter disdain and disgust for her.

Shahn's fragile calm exterior cracked and began to fragment as she pleaded, her voice tremoring, "Dark Lord, when we'd found the relic on Taris and you told me that Darth Zash was inside, I began to suspect what your intentions were. However, you also told me that you had subdued a Jedi, and that you'd planned to make the same offer to her, to claim the knowledge held by Zash. At that moment, I came up with my own plans to make her a willing candidate to interface with the mind trap."

She could see in Nox's introspective eyes that he was debating within himself. Shahn imagined that he was probably deciding whether he'd kill her. He seemed skeptical of what she'd suggested, and he seemed greatly disappointed that Shahn would not submit to his plans.

To Shahn, it didn't seem he would accept her proposal, but she pressed on.

"Dark Lord, I have been playing Juuldis for a fool! I made her believe that I was plotting to claim the artifact for myself. She is consumed with the desire to claim the _dark knowledge_, she believes is held within the artifact for herself. I have feigned weakness, and have made myself seem unable to obtain the relic. Thus Juuldis is convinced she will win that privilege for herself, and I plan to _let her win_."

Nox shook his head in the negative, and opened his mouth to speak, but remained silent as Shahn did the unthinkable. She interrupted him. Her stomach felt as though it had twisted into knots, as she realized what she'd done, but it was already too late. Nox's eyes seemed to condemn her to death, as his silent mouth slowly closed shut.

Her hope fading, she pressed on, with despair tinting her tone.

"I have given her no doubt that if she claims the _knowledge_ from the entity within, that she will become more powerful than even you, my dark lord. She thinks she'll defeat you and ascend to the Dark Council with the knowledge and power she imagines is held within the relic."

Shahn, in desperation, had repeated herself. She realized that was a mistake that had cost her precious seconds to present another point.

She added hastily, knowing that she'd run out of time, "She is willing and ready, and she will not understand what has happened until she finds herself alone in the mind trap."

Nox spoke coldly, angrily shouting his words out at her.

"Leave me! I must think on this!"

Shahn quickly stood, bowed to her master, then quickly turned about and fled his presence, walking rather briskly, hurriedly making her escape. She felt that at any instant, he would strike her down.

* * *

In fact, Darth Nox had _not_ struck her down. She left his opulent offices within The Office of The Sphere of Ancient knowledge, which was housed three hundred sub-levels below the building's main lobby. The Office of The Sphere of Ancient Knowledge took up twenty seven full floors, from sub-level 300 down to sub-level 326.

Twenty three of those sub-levels contained mostly the vaults and archives of the Imperial Reclamation Service, which housed ancient relics and the actual original ancient records and recordings of the ancient Sith, the ancient Sith Empire, and other ancient civilizations.

The sub-level above the archives and vaults housed the libraries, containing copies and replicas of the reconstructed and translated records and histories of the ancient Sith Empire. Those libraries also contained many scholarly papers that attempted to address questions about events that took place in the times of antiquity.

The sub-level above the libraries housed the headquarters and administrative offices of the Imperial Reclamation Service.

The sub-level above the Imperial Reclamation Service's headquarters housed the research and development arm of the Office of The Sphere of Ancient Knowledge. There, Sith appointed by Darth Nox researched ancient dark rituals and then documented their findings, recording those findings into datacrons to be stored in a special library on the floor above.

The floor above, sub-level 300, housed The Office of The Sphere of Ancient Knowledge's head offices. The head offices comprised the library of datacrons of rediscovered Dark Side Force rituals, the administrative sections, and Darth Nox's own office. Within his office was his personal library, which held many shelves filled with datacrons, with his most closely held rediscovered secrets and his own writings of secret research he has conducted and his findings.

To get to the lifts, Shahn literally had to walk nearly a full kilometer through a maze of offices and corridors, until she reached the nearest bank of turbolifts. There were Imperial soldiers at every intersection of the corridors, and every one of them inspected her clearance pass.

She thought angrily to herself, _"The nerve of these soldiers, demanding I show them my clearance pass!"_

One of the soldiers actually suggested she wear the pass on her robes, so that the soldiers could look at it as she passed without having to be asked to produce it. She understood that the soldier was only trying to be helpful, but Shahn did all she could to refrain from Force Choking the girl. The only reason she put up with it was because the word was out that Darth Nox, himself, had decreed that _no one_ was above the new security protocol put into place by the security chief of The Office of The Sphere of Ancient Knowledge.

Before Shahn Lunn had given Darth Nox her refusal to interact with the artifact, she'd complained to him about the new and cumbersome security requirements.

Nox simply told her, "It was _my idea._ I want everyone to do it. No exceptions."

Shahn had to take a ridiculous detour to get to his offices, and then later, to flee his offices to get back to the turbolifts. There was some kind of blast that had damaged one of the main corridors in The Citadel. She'd only heard that it was a blast of some sort. Nox hadn't told anyone, besides Talos Drellik, of the attempt on his life over a day and a half before, and he hadn't given Talos any of the details of the attack.

Avoiding the construction crews repairing the damage, Shahn had entered the turbolifts amazed that she still lived. She had decided she had to find Juuldis, and somehow get her to the mind trap before Darth Nox did anything else. Shahn exited the turbolift to the main lobby and walked a half kilometer through the enormously cavernous lobby to the building's main entrance.

Shahn had no doubts that Darth Nox was going to try to thwart her plans to deceive Juuldis into grabbing the _privilege_ of accessing the ancient Rakata relic. She was actually quite surprised that Nox had allowed her to simply leave his presence unpunished. Shahn had openly defied him and had directly opposed his designs for her.

Shahn didn't know this, but it was thanks to Ashara Zavros' obstinate nature, that Nox had _learned patience_ with those that defied his will. Were it not for that, she surely would have died where she knelt, on his rug.

However, there were others in her predicament who were not so lucky to experience Nox's patience. But Nox's droid was quick and efficient in cleaning spilled blood, and other messes, from Nox's priceless rug.

Exiting the cavernous lobby and passing through the grand entrance, led to an enormous deck which was open to the sky. This enormous open deck served as the driveway, passenger drop off and pick up point, and further out, at the edge of the open deck, was the public taxi speeder terminal, which was serviced by several taxi droids at several kiosks.

She was almost to the nearest public taxi kiosk when a bright flash caught her attention to her right. Shahn turned her head that way and looked around until she finally caught sight of the top of one of the massive towers several kilometers to the West, ablaze.

Angry bright yellow flames billowed out from the top of the massive towering structure, which then darkened to receding orange roiling flames, and then became deep red seething fire that finally retreated into the thick black smoke. The oily black smoke seemed alive with the Dark Side as it dominated and hid the top of the tower from view. Then she heard the thundering sounds of blaster cannons firing overhead.

Shahn looked up in time to see a flight of Imperial fighterships chasing and firing upon another flight of ships. The two flights of ships twisted, rolled, and spiraled as they roared their way up into space and out of sight. As the echoing roar of the fighterships' engines faded away, Shahn returned her eyes to the furious inferno at the top of the huge towering building several kilometers away.

The flames had pushed through the oily black smoke and had regained it's angry yellowy dominance. The people around her were shouting and exclaiming in disbelief.

One man growled out a vile oath and followed it up with, "Dirty Republic scum!"

A woman sobbed, "How terrible!"

Shahn decided it had nothing to do with her and her immediate concerns. She had to plan her survival. She understood now, that even if Juuldis was sacrificed to Zash, that it would not necessarily mean she would suffer no consequences for her defiance to Darth Nox.

She walked the last few meters to the taxi kiosk and told the droid there, "I want a taxi to the City Center."

The droid replied, "Of course, my lord. The fair is a mere 10 credits. Will you pay now, or do you wish to be billed?"

Shahn presented her credit card and paid the fair. The droid directed her to her waiting taxi. Shahn walked a few paces to the taxi-droid and boarded it.

No sooner had the driverless taxi-droid left its pad on its way to its destination than she received a notice on her personal holo-transmitter. Shahn answered the call from the unknown audio only frequency.

She demanded, irritably, "Who is it?!"

The voice answering belonged to Khem Val.

He asked, "Where are you now?"

Shahn warned Khem Val angrily, shouting at him, "Khem Val, this had better be important, or I swear I'll make you pay somehow!"

She instantly regretted her words.

Shahn's heart sank, and fear overcame her, as she thought, "_Has the dark lord sent the Dashade to eat me?!_"

The vividly macabre image of Khem Val, casually chewing on the hand of the deceased Darth Acrimous, and the slurping sounds he made as he sucked on her arm to drink the blood that drained from it, as he carried her body down a side corridor to his quarters on the Ilum space dock, returned to her mind's eye.

After a short silence, Khem Val spoke, startling Shahn back to the present.

He simply stated, "We are at war." After another brief pause, he ordered Shahn, "Prepare yourself for battle."

Shahn was nearly panicked, hearing Khem Val's challenge to her. She was nearly in tears, and speechless.

She sobbed in a very small voice, almost whispering, "_no..._"

Then he spoke again. His tone was low, and his voice seemed to tremor with emotion. Shahn had trouble understanding why his voice seemed so strained.

Then he told her, his voice shaking with fury, "The home and stronghold of our master has been destroyed!"

Shahn's watery eyes and quivering mouth both opened wide in shocked disbelief as she snap-turned her head and torso to look out the taxi window at the tower aflame. The conflagration had raced down several of the upper most levels of the tower, as it showed no signs of being satisfied with only consuming the penthouse levels of Dromund Tower.

Gone from her mind, the fear of becoming Khem Val's next feast. Shahn's head spun dizzyingly with her tumultuous, whirling emotions.

She whispered in disbelief, "_Acina, what have you done?!_"


	34. An Unexpected Disclosure

An Unexpected Disclosure

Upon exiting the taxi, Shahn received another call on her personal holo-transmitter. As the taxi pulled away, Shahn looked at the caller tag to see who could be calling her this time. Shahn's head spun as she tried to settle her mind.

She was in turmoil. Between having come dangerously close to getting slain by her master, and Darth Nox's domicile having been destroyed in a targeted Republic attack, and Khem Val's furious declaration, '_We are at war,_' she was in quite a state of shock.

A droid had approached her and gently prodded Shahn to move, telling her, "My lord, it is not safe to remain in the taxi way, please move to the passenger staging area."

Shahn didn't hear the droid, but subconsciously complied with the droid's suggestion as she finally understood that it was Darth Nox who was attempting to contact her. She froze in her tracks again, answering the call.

"Dark Lord, I live to serve you. What is your will?"

She hoped that her obsequious manner would help to soften his anger towards her.

Darth Nox clearly struggled with speaking in a neutral tone. Shahn could tell that he was trying to keep a calm exterior, but his fury was percolating out from beneath his quickly fragmenting facade of calm.

He said through clenched teeth, "Juuldis has failed to return my calls. Find her, and return to me with her." Then he growled out, "You'll probably find her at the spaceport."

Nox cut the communications before Shahn could reply.

Whatever the case was, Shahn had a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She walked back to the taxi kiosk, cutting ahead of the line of waiting passengers.

She told the droid there, "I need a taxi to the spaceport."

The droid promptly ignored the businessman it had been attending, and turned its attention to Shahn. The businessman, wisely did not complain as he listened to the droid attend to the petite Sith lord.

"My lord, that will be a mere one hundred and twenty five credits. Will you pay now, or do you wish to be billed?"

Shahn wordlessly presented her credit card and paid the fair. Soon, she was in a taxi on her way to the spaceport.

Shahn was filled with dread. Her whirling emotions, fears, and doubts clouded her thoughts as she began speculating.

She thought to herself, "_What if Juuldis called in the air strike, and not Acina?_"

She worried that it could escalate the low-grade feud between Nox and Acina into a full blown Kaggath. Khem Val was very likely gearing up to strike directly at Acina's powerbase. Thinking of the Dashade gave her a measure of relief that his call to her was not what she had initially feared. She was almost glad that Acina had struck at her master.

Shahn thought, "_Perhaps I can ease his fury with me if I kill enough of Acina's followers._"

Remembering why she was on a taxi-droid to the spaceport, she returned her thoughts to Juuldis. It occurred to Shahn, that if Darth Nox had sent her to the spaceport after Juuldis, he probably already suspected her. Shahn had to forcibly stop herself from speculation so that she could order her thoughts. Her mind was a mess, and she knew that she could not face Juuldis in this state. Shahn was determined to be ready when she confronted Juuldis.

Unlike her very short taxi ride from The Citadel to the City Center, this trip was a very long one. She wondered about the wisdom of building the spaceport so far from Kaas City, but she decided that what was done was done.

After the hour long ride, she was finally dropped off at the taxi depot just outside the main entrance to the spaceport. She had spent nearly the entire time on the taxi ride meditating and preparing herself for battle. She was excited and ready for action, but she was composed. She had turned her fear into hate, and had cleared her thoughts of all doubt. Shahn saw her opportunity to trick Juuldis into following her to the mind trap.

As she neared the gate, spaceport security forces comprising an Imperial Soldier with his three battle droids approached her. The soldier and his medium duty battle droids looked down at her small stature as they came to a stop in front of Shahn.

The Imperial soldier asked her, "My lord, are you Lord Shahn?"

Shahn, surprised that a stranger would know her name, became guarded as she replied, "I am."

The soldier, snapping to attention, reported, "My lord! The dark lord, Darth Nox, instructed us to keep watch for Lord Juuldis and to inform you if we have seen her."

Shahn nodded her head, relaxing a little since it was her master who had instructed the soldiers to look for her coming.

Looking up at the tall Imperial soldier, she asked expectantly, "And?"

The soldier continued his report to Shahn, "Currently, she is at the ticket counter attempting to book passage off world. Per Darth Nox's orders, we have delayed her as long as we could, but soon she will likely figure out that we have been keeping her."

Before the soldier had finished speaking, Shahn had already rushed off to the spaceport's main entrance in an attempt to reach Juuldis at the ticket counter. She rounded the end of the interior blast wall and stopped at the top of the hundred meter wide ramp to look over the expansive concourse. She scanned each ticket counter until she spotted Juuldis at one of them. Shahn hadn't noticed all of the Imperial soldiers circulating amongst the travelers, service droids, and civilian workers at their various shop kiosks scattered throughout the concourse.

Juuldis had her finger in an officer's face as he stood rigidly to attention, shouting, 'Yes, lord!' and 'No, lord!' to her unheard questions. The officer was doing his best to stay alive and complete his mission of delaying her departure.

Shahn let her feelings of frustration and anger wash over her entire being, and used the flood of dark emotions to fuel her growing resentment and hatred of Juuldis. She felt the power of the Dark Side increase within her as her hatred grew.

During her taxi ride, Shahn had built up her mental defenses against Juuldis' Force Persuasion techniques. She'd heard from Darth Nox of her prowess in that regard, and she didn't want to get caught unprepared. Shahn had carefully hid her presence from Juuldis until she was about thirty meters from her. She could hear Juuldis' angry voice.

"What's taking so damned long to get the system back online? I need a ticket, and I do not want to miss my flight!"

Shahn said to Juuldis' back, "Acina attacks Darth Nox's personal domicile, and you run away from the coming war? Or was it you and the Galactic Republic that set up that attack? Either way, you're not better than a _coward_."

Shahn spat out that last word with utter disgust in her tone.

Juuldis spun quickly as she grasped her sabrestaff. Her surprised look was quickly replaced with a look of disgust. The Imperial officer, having accomplished his mission and having survived the fury of a Sith lord, saluted, did an about face, and ran from the coming battle.

Juuldis let him escape. She didn't want to be distracted. She'd learned, for the first time, just how strong Shahn really was. The two women, so focused on one another, did not notice the throngs at the spaceport had rapidly thinned out. They were almost the only people left in the entire concourse. Only a few shopkeepers, hurriedly closing up their kiosks, remained in the concourse along with a couple dozen soldiers who rushed about completing their tasks, as the last of the remaining travelers had been shepherded away to the adjacent concourses in the spaceport.

Juuldis said to Shahn, "From the start, you had me under your spell! When I heard for myself what you were up to, I realized I was such an idiot!"

Shahn was taken aback. Confused, she asked, "What are you talking about, Juuldis?"

Juuldis replied, "Don't play stupid with me! I snuck in behind you, and I listened to your conversation with Darth Nox. I learned the truth of that Rakata relic from your own lips, and of Nox's plans for us both and that - mind trap!_"_

Shahn felt a sinking feeling in her gut as she listened to Juuldis disclose that she'd learned the truth. Shahn's plans for her own survival had come undone. She knew that it was over for her if she failed to bring Juuldis back to The Citadel and stick Juuldis in front of that mind trap - _before returning to Darth Nox_.

She said nothing to Juuldis. There was nothing for her to say. Shahn drew and ignited her sabrestaff.

Juuldis shook her head in disgust at herself. She thought to herself, "_She's armed with a blasted sabrestaff, and she killed Framm! How could I be so stupid as to let myself get suckered into underestimating someone that skilled?!_"

She drew her own sabrestaff, and ignited it.

Juuldis tried one last bit of negotiations, telling her, "Shahn, Darth Nox will sacrifice you to the mind trap to retrieve - _Zash_, was it? Why don't you run with me? We can both escape."

Shahn, dropping all pretense of weakness, countered, "There is nowhere in this galaxy that we can hide from him. Darth Nox has eyes and ears everywhere. Even if we lived out our lives as hermits, Darth Nox would find us through The Force. He would already have found someone else to sacrifice to Zash. All that he'd want from us then would be our deaths."

Above all else, Shahn feared Darth Nox. Her encounter with the dark lord earlier, taught her there was a whole other level of power to reckon with, and that her power was that of a small child's in comparison. She was not going to disobey him again, but more importantly, she wanted that power for herself.

Shahn had resolved to herself, "_I swear, after I get Zash into her body. I will not cross the dark lord again!_"

During their brief conversation, spaceport security had finished evacuating the concourse of all remaining service droids, civilian personnel and travelers. They had quickly and expertly established portable protective shield barriers around the ticket counters and the various shop kiosks in the area. The concourse itself was cordoned off with portable shield barriers so that the battle would be contained there and not spread to the other parts of the spaceport.

That security measures meant to protect against terrorist attack was being used in this manner, showed that this sort of thing happened quite a lot more often than terrorist attacks did. The spaceport security forces also showed that they were quite practiced at this as well. The evacuations were completed, and the barriers were set up in a very short time.

Shahn extended her free hand towards Juuldis and let loose a torrent of Force Lightning. Juuldis easily deflected it with her sabrestaff, jabbing one end of it into the metal plated floor of the spaceport to route the electrical current into the floor. She leapt back to increase the distance between them both, and then vanished from Shahn's sight.

Shahn used The Force to open her mind and broke Juuldis' Force Shroud technique. Looking this way and that, Shahn pretended not to see her, as Juuldis quickly encircled Shahn to approach from behind.

Shahn spoke, nearly shouting, as though Juuldis was still a distance away.

"Besides, the spaceport is locked down. The security forces have orders not to let us off world. Darth Nox made sure of it."

When Juuldis had closed to within ten meters, Shahn turned quickly to face Juuldis and used a Dark Force ritual that locked Juuldis out of control of her own body. Juuldis collapsed like a sack of root vegetables to the polished metal floor. Her sabrestaff deactivated as it struck the floor after leaving her hands. Shahn then used another Dark Force ritual that began to drain Juuldis' life force.

Juuldis fought furiously to escape from Shahn's trap as she felt her strength quickly leaving her. After a monumental effort, Juuldis finally broke free of Shahn's grip and used Force Push to send Shahn flying away end over end. Shahn recovered in mid-air and landed on her feet, but her face, chest and hands stung smartly from Juuldis' Force Push attack.

Shahn had her sabrestaff up, just in time, to parry Juuldis' sabrestaff as Juuldis landed in front of her. Juuldis quickly attacked with the other end of her staff, but Shahn expertly parried, and then executed a counter attack of her own. Juuldis blocked it and leapt back to open the distance between them by thirty meters.

The two women stood on guard, watching the other and panting for breath. Shahn was trying, very hard, to think of another way to pin Juuldis down so that she could overcome her. Shahn reflected that their size difference gave Juuldis the advantage in their lightsaber duel, in terms of reach. Shahn also had to acknowledge that Juuldis was also physically stronger than she.

Shahn finally began to wonder why Juuldis hadn't attacked again, when a tiny voice in the back of her consciousness told her that _she should probably move_. In a panic, Shahn threw herself to the left, just as Juuldis thrust her sabrestaff at her back. Shahn continued to roll to the left, to gain distance from Juuldis before regaining her feet, again.

Juuldis missed Shahn's back, but grazed her right upper arm. Shahn surmised that somehow, Juuldis used a combination of Force Shroud and Force Persuasion to deceive her into thinking that Juuldis stood before her, and then got behind her. Shahn now understood what Nox had faced in his battles against Juuldis. Shahn had also, at that moment, worked out how Juuldis accomplished this technique.

Shahn grunted in pain from the searing burn on her arm. It was as though she'd been scorched with a branding iron. She tried to block out the pain, but it really hurt.

Shahn reached into a utility compartment on her belt, with her free hand, and took out a tiny squeeze bulb. She bit off the tip of the bulb and spat it out. Then she squeezed out the ointment at her burn through the hole in her scorched armor. It was a combination of a numbing agent and kolto, made as a single use spray to deaden pain and to promote minor healing. She cast the expended bulb aside.

Laughing mockingly, Juuldis taunted Shahn.

"Owie! That really hurts!"

She laughed at Shahn again, but said nothing more. She was still breathing hard and did not feel her strength returning. Shahn had really drained a great deal of her strength and Force energy in that last attack. She realized that if Shahn caught her like that again, that she would not be able to break free a second time.

Looking around the spaceport concourse, Juuldis caught sight of some open air cafe furniture and ran for it. Shahn ran after her, but kept her distance. She realized Juuldis was up to something, and so remained alert.

Juuldis used The Force to rip one of the tables from the floor and sent it hurtling at Shahn. Shahn leapt to the side to dodge it, but the table followed her movements. Shahn deactivated one end of her sabrestaff. Keeping the ignited end of her weapon pointed outward to one side, she tucked the hilt in with her arms as she ducked and rolled forward, to avoid the table.

However the cafe table smashed into her, cracking a rib and knocking the wind out of her. Shahn barely caught sight of Juuldis in midair, flying at her, with her sabrestaff already swinging downward. There was no way Shahn was going to block it in time with her own weapon.

Shahn, used The Force to keep rolling forward. While rolling, she activated her personal shield generator on her belt, just before Juuldis struck her squarely on the back with the broad side of her sabrestaff. Juuldis, landing on her feet, pivoted quickly and struck Shahn a second time, on her left thigh, with the other end of her sabrestaff as Shahn continued to roll past her.

Shahn used Force Push against the floor to propel herself away from Juuldis, thus escaping Juuldis' continued attacks. She then reactivated the other end of her sabrestaff as she came to land unsteadily on her feet. She staggered back and fell onto her buttocks, but quickly scrambled back onto her feet, her weapon at the ready.

The pain was searing. Shahn grunted and let out a low growl at the pain on her back and left thigh. Fortunately for Shahn, her shield generator had absorbed most of the sabrestaff's energy from both strikes, preventing the sabrestaff from cutting all the way through her flexible body armor. Shahn's burns were painful, but not crippling as long as she used The Force to aid in her movements.

Juuldis watched as Shahn retrieved a kolto injector from her utility belt. She watched as Shahn injected two doses of it into herself. It was dangerous to use too many doses during battle.

While it deadened the pain quickly, too much kolto also made the body sluggish and uncoordinated. Juuldis decided she would use that fact to her advantage. Juuldis watched as Shahn cast the injector aside and then quickly eject the spent battery from her shield generator and replace it with a spare.

Watching Shahn's very quick and deft movements with her free hand, as she quickly treated her wounds and changed the shield generator battery, and thinking of Shahn's devastating Dark Force attacks, made her realize why her former padawan, Framm, had been defeated by Shahn.

Then Juuldis thought to herself, as it finally hit her, "_Shahn is Sith!_"

Juuldis realized that Shahn had likely killed a lot of Sith throughout her life as a Sith lord, and very likely killed at least a few other Jedi, besides Framm.

Thinking of Framm's death at Shahn's hands, Juuldis thought to herself, "_This explains her expertise, demonstrated here._"

As Juuldis resolved not to underestimate Shahn again, she realized she'd just been standing there staring at Shahn. In an instant, Juuldis Force Leapt straight up into the air as she cleared her mind of the Force Persuasion clouding her thoughts. Shahn had used Juuldis' own Force Persuasion technique against her.

Shahn was not where Juuldis had been watching her. As she came back down, she found Shahn had snuck behind her, but instead of preparing to impale her with her sabrestaff, Shahn had both hands stretched towards Juuldis, still high in the air.

Juuldis again, felt her mind becoming separated from her body, and watched herself helplessly, limply, collide with the floor. Oddly, the impact with the metal plated floor didn't hurt. She then felt her Force Energy and her life force leaving her body.

As her world faded to black, she thought to herself, "_This is how she killed Framm._"


	35. Of Vengeance, Grief, and Loathing

Of Vengeance, Grief, and Loathing

Darth Nox was in such a terrible state of grief. His two small children were there, killed in the attack. Darth Nox was in such a terrible state of rage. He had almost no doubt that Acina was involved somehow.

Nox thought to himself, reasoning, "_How else would the Republic know where to strike?_"

Nox vowed to himself, "_When I learn who in the Republic is responsible, I will lay waste to him and everything around him. And when I learn of Acina's connection to all of this, I will bring her to ruination, and leave her bereft of successors! I will leave nothing that can hearken back to her. She will be utterly forgotten!_"

A little over a quarter hour after the attack, with the fires at Dromund Tower continuing to burn - seemingly without abatement, a few members of the Dark Council had begun to call Nox.

The first to call was Darth Mortis who'd only spoken briefly to say, "Point your just fury and your just wrath at your sworn enemy, and not at the empire, when you exact retribution."

Darth Ravage called shortly thereafter and said, "It's too bad, what had happened. Don't let this go unanswered, or I'll find myself disappointed in you. Only, when you strike, be sure you strike at your foe and not at the empire."

Darth Acina called and sounding quite sincere, said, "Whatever our differences, I was not responsible for..."

Nox, interrupting her, told her with cold fury in his tone, "When I have the evidence, I am coming for you, personally."

Acina cut the link.

Finally, nearly half an hour after the attack, Darth Marr called.

He said, "Darth Nox, I empathize with you. I know that if I were in your place, I would seek _such vengeance!_" Marr shook his fist for emphasis, then added, "However, take heed that first you have proof, and second, that you do not hurt the empire while justly exacting retribution."

Darth Nox remained silent.

Darth Marr concluded, "One last thing, Darth Nox. Do not forget that Acina seems to have _The Hand's_ backing. Tread carefully, lest you incur _The Emperor's Wrath_."

Marr waited to see what Nox would say. Nox remained silent. He didn't trust himself to speak. When Marr realized Nox was not going to say anything, he signaled to someone and the connection was cut.

Nox asked himself, "_Why did Marr mention Acina? Is he saying he suspects her, too? Or does he think to set me off against her, hoping I will not think things through first?_"

Then it occurred to him, that all of the other Dark Lords _expected_ him to get vengeance as well, and they all urged him not to hurt the Empire. It was as though they all knew it wasn't the Republic who had attacked. Nox also realized it was not entirely impossible that another member of the Dark Council had staged the attack in hopes that his two rivals, already involved in a dispute, would take each other out. However, he believed the likeliest scenario was that it was all Acina's doing.

Nox's mind was so unsettled however, that he completely missed the point Marr had made. Which was, to watch out for _The Hand_, and _The Wrath_. The Emperor's Hand, and The Emperor's Wrath were powerful Sith that directly represented the interests of the Emperor, ruler of the Sith Empire.

Nox returned his attention to the news feed of the attack against one of his most opulent residences. The updated reports indicated that the fires were nearly all put out, thanks to the efficient operation of the fire suppression droids, and the heroic efforts of the droid operators that risked their lives to direct the droids' fire suppression battle atop the massive residential tower.

He asked himself, "_What have the others seen, that I have not?_"

Reviewing the holographic images of Imperial fighters chasing and shooting at the enemy fighters, Nox realized something. Although those fighters were referred to by the news commentator as Republic, only two of the five ships had Republic markings on them. The remaining three had no markings on them whatsoever. Additionally, the ships were a mix of different fighter classes. They were not uniform in their model type, meaning they were all fighters but of different models and manufacture, hence not of the same fighter squadron or fighter wing.

Nox ordered 2V-R8, "Connect me with Keeper. Hurry."

2V-R8 replied, "As you say, Master."

Within three minutes, Nox was speaking to a Human in civilian attire with grey hair and male pattern baldness.

He asked, matter-of-factly, "How my I server you, Dark Lord?"

Nearly a year before, Imperial Intelligence had been dissolved by the Dark Council. Nox, along with only a couple of other Dark Councilors with foresight, scrambled to pick up the pieces to create their own personal spy networks.

Nox netted Keeper, who was the former Minister of Intelligence, and Shara Jenn, who became the new Keeper when _Keeper_ was promoted to Minister of Intelligence. Before that, she was known as Watcher Two. He'd also netted Minder Twenty, Fixer Twelve, and a few others from the Operations Command element of Imperial Intelligence. With the addition of this group, the effectiveness of Nox's personal spy network had increased by orders of magnitude.

Nox told Keeper, "I have a suspicion that the Republic were not behind the attack on one of my residences. Have any of their ships been destroyed? Have any of their pilots been captured?"

Keeper answered him, "Yes, on both accounts, Dark Lord. The pilot is currently in a Navy medical facility on board the super dreadnought, _Reaver_, in orbit over Dromund Kaas. He may not survive his injuries."

Nox ordered, "Get your people up there. Now. You have my authority to expedite whatever process is required to get your agents aboard that ship. If he dies, be certain the cause of death _is not_ assassination. Be sure to increase security for the pilot, and monitor the situation closely. By my authority, you must take control of that prisoner. Don't let anyone else near him except for the medical staff. I don't want him killed before anything is learned."

Keeper replied, "Yes, Dark Lord, we've already started to make arrangements to have our people taken to the Reaver, but with your authorization to board quickly, and to take control of the prisoner, it will be a lot easier to get answers - if the pilot survives."

Nox cut the transmission. He knew he could not trust the Imperial Navy to provide proper security for the captured pilot. He knew they wouldn't know what questions to ask either. Now that he'd gotten the ball rolling on his investigation, he hoped something would come of it. However, Nox knew he'd only get answers if the pilot remained alive. As Marr had said, he needed proof before he could kill Acina, or he'd end up destroying himself in the process of seeking vengeance.

Nox looked at the chronometer on his desk and figured that Shahn should be arriving at the spaceport soon. He didn't tell Shahn about the attack on his primary residence and stronghold, and he didn't tell her that he'd felt Juuldis' presence in his office _after_ Shahn had left. He had to admit to himself that Juuldis was entirely too good at hiding her presence from him. He hadn't realized Juuldis was there, listening in to his discussion with Shahn, until they were both long gone.

Nox didn't know if there'd be time, before the Dark Council meeting, to get a new apprentice from Korriban to replace those two. If Shahn decided to run with Juuldis, that's what he'd have to do.

Nox said to Ashara's memory, "_How I miss your counsel._"

Then, remembering a fragment of his dream with Ashara and his kids, Nox implored her, "_Watch over our children...,_"

He could not finish his prayer to Ashara's memory as he broke down, weeping in utter grief. Nox hated himself as never before. He felt great self loathing as he took advantage of the deaths of his children, using his grief for their loss to fuel his power in The Dark Side of The Force.

He began to question his sanity, as he thought, "_Is this a sign of encroaching madness? How could a sane man do such a despicable thing? Or perhaps, from the start, I've been just the sort of man that would do such a depraved thing at the expense of his family's sanctity._"

His guilt and self hatred rose, fueling his Dark Side power. He shook his head as he despaired over what he was becoming. He feared he was losing his sanity, but he could not deny the volumes of power from the Dark Side of The Force flowing through him at that moment.

Darth Nox came to a realization, and thought aloud to himself, "_This path is seductive, offering me so much power! Yet, I am led to self destruction!_" After a moment to think on what he'd told himself, he said quietly to himself, "_There has to be a better way._"


	36. The Foulest Murder

The Foulest Murder

Juuldis opened her eyes with difficulty. The white brightness was painful to her eyes, and her vision was blurred. She closed her eyes again to let them rest, but the brightness blasted its way through her eyelids. She lay on her side, so she tried to sit up. However, she found it very difficult to move at all.

Through the fog in her mind, Juuldis remembered her battle at the spaceport, and then remembered the _mind trap_. She snapped her eyes wide open despite the pain the brightness caused her eyes, and tried to sit. As her senses returned to her, she realized that she was bound. She tried using The Force to break free of her bonds, but she could barely muster enough of The Force to even clear her thoughts.

As her vision cleared, she began to make out the armored booted feet in front of her. The black uppers of the calf-length boots, with attached yellow enameled metal shin guards, were concealed by the hem of the lightweight and flexible armored robes, whose deep black and bright yellow colors and patterns she'd learned to associate with Darth Nox.

Juuldis turned her head sideways to look up and saw that it was him. He stood, bent towards her, one hand stretched towards her, and the other stretched away from his side. His hand and fingers were open, with his palm facing her, as though he would grab her soul.

Juuldis looked in the direction to which his other hand, similarly opened, was reaching to, and saw Shahn at the side of the stark white room. Shahn was crumpled on the floor at the bottom of a blood smeared wall. A puddle of her blood pooled beneath her head and shoulder where they made contact with the floor. Her robes and armor were severely scorched with lightning burns, and her face was battered, bruised, and also bore lightning burns.

Juuldis knew she didn't give Shahn those wounds. She surmised that Nox was siphoning Shahn's life away and using it to restore her own life force. Juuldis had no doubt Shahn would die. Juuldis also realized that Nox was about to sacrifice her for Zash.

She tried speaking, and then realized for the the first time that she was gagged. Juuldis looked herself over, taking stock of where her hands and feet were. She found that she was hogtied, and that her nearly naked body was wrapped in Force suppression netting.

Nox lowered his hands to his sides as he straightened his stance, and looking down at her, asked Juuldis, "Do you feel better, now?"

Tears left Juuldis' eyes. She thought to herself, "_What a cruel thing to ask! Isn't he just going to trap my mind in that thing when he gets Zash out?_"

Nox bent to his knees and reached to her face. He removed the gag from her mouth, then asked, "Does it hurt anywhere?"

Juuldis thought carefully how she would reply, then said in her heavily accented Basic, "Master, it's not enough that you're gonna steal my body to give it to someone else? Why do you have to taunt me like that? Just get this over with already."

Nox shook his head and said, "I am not mocking you. I simply want your body to be in the best shape possible so that Zash is not inconvenienced by any aches and pains her new body may still have."

That was the first time, he'd been truthful to her.

Then, again for the second time since they'd met, he told her the truth, when he added, "When this is done, it will not be over for you. It will only be the beginning of your everlasting torment. There simply is no other way."

Juuldis, in desperation, suggested, "What about Shahn? You're pretty mad at her. Why not use hers?"

Nox shook his head again, rejecting her proposal and telling her, "Shahn is dead. Before I'd thought about it, I'd already roughed her up. I can't give Zash a damaged body to move into."

Juuldis opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. She gave up, facing reality squarely and coming to accept that there was no hope for her.

Nox then stood and stepped well back from Juuldis, the Rakata mind trap and its interface.

He gave Talos the command.

"Captain Drellik, begin."

She looked past where Nox stood, to where she heard Talos' voice, as he replied somberly, "As you say, Dark Lord."

Juuldis spoke her final words, her voice quavering, "Master, find me a body and get me out of that thing one day."

Next, Juuldis found herself alone in the whiteness.

Nox was impressed with her resolve at the end. He expected her to cry and to beg.

He gave thought to Juuldis' final request, and thought to himself, "_Perhaps I'll do just that._"

He turned to Talos and ordered, "Be sure this mind trap is not mixed with the others, and be sure it is not damaged in any way."

Talos replied, his voice husky with emotion, "As you say, Dark Lord."

Nox returned his attention to the body on the floor before the mind trap and its interface. He watched with growing excitement and with rapt fascination, waiting to see what would happen next. He was certain that he had felt the presence in that body change.

* * *

Zash was lost in the whiteness. In the whiteness, she had no form nor presence. She had no sense of time, except for eternity. There was no space, and yet there were no boundaries. There was no forwards nor backwards, no sense of distance nor nearness, no weight nor substance. Everything was nothingness. She was everywhere and nowhere.

Through fear, Zash struggled to keep her knowledge of The Force and all of the rituals she'd learned over her long decades from fading into forgetfulness, but that wasn't required. The Rakata mind trap preserved the state of her mind when she was first cast into it. It even preserved the state of fear she was in when she was betrayed by Kallig, the day he cast her out of Khem Val's body and into the mind trap years before, on Taris.

_"Or was that a second ago?"_ Zash wondered.

She couldn't tell how much time had gone by.

The sterile whiteness offered no stimuli, but something new was happening and it terrified her. She felt the whiteness had begun to rob her of her mind. She felt as though she were fading and her existence was coming to an end. She felt all of the knowledge she had acquired over her one hundred and ten year career as a Sith, researching Dark Force rituals on Korriban, was gradually getting sucked out of her mind, including her identity and her memories.

Zash was lost in the darkness. In the darkness, she believed herself dead. Out of pure terror, she screamed. Zash was startled into silence when she heard the screams of a strange woman's voice. She felt her throat strained. Zash felt heaviness weigh down on her being.

Zash then realized that she _felt._ She felt her body.

She thought in surprise, "_Body?!_"

Zash realized the darkness was not really darkness, and it occurred to her to open her eyes. She saw someone standing some ways away from where she lay. After a bit, she realized it was her former apprentice, Kallig. He seemed different to her, somehow.

Then she realized he had many scars on his face and head that he did not have, when she last saw him before her imprisonment. His complexion, too, showed the sickly appearance of Dark Side Corruption, which he did not have before. She noticed that his eyes, which once sparked with open curiosity, now bore into her with cold calculation. She remembered that he was no longer Lord Kallig, but _Darth Nox, Dark Lord of The Sith._

When Nox spoke, it wasn't the voice of a confident and capable young man, full of daring and vim, but the voice of a cold and calculating ruler of Sith, used to manipulating others and filled with every expectation that he would be obeyed.

He asked, "Well, Zash. How does it feel to be alive again?"

Zash noted that there wasn't even a trace of humor in his tone when he'd asked his flippant question.

An irrelevant thought crossed her mind, "_His hairline has receded, or did he shave it that way, to show off his scars?_"

When she took in a breath to reply to his query, Zash became acutely aware of the cool dry air as it rushed into her mouth and down her throat to fill her lungs. She felt alive! She had presence and form. She could hear and see. She could feel the world around her. She was in a white room, but there were shadows, shapes, objects, sounds, smells, and it was _a room - with walls!_ One of the walls had a beautiful red smear on it, she noted.

She began to speak, to tell him all of this.

"It feels..."

She startled herself into silence again. Her voice, the voice of _Zash_, was not what she heard. She heard the voice of another, a strange woman's voice. As she tried to speak again, she did so haltingly.

Then it finally dawned on her, as she thought, "_This was someone else' body, and someone else' voice!_"

She started to feel revulsion at the realization, but quickly admonished herself, as she remembered that she might still be in the whiteness were it not for...,

"_My... new... body!_" Zash thought aloud.

She spoke haltingly, because the sound of her new voice was still very strange to her.

"It feels..., strange..., and wonderful. It is wonderful..., but strange."

Zash, accepting her new self, and realizing freedom from her prison, became filled with bliss.

Nox smiled in triumphant satisfaction.

He thought, "_That's Juuldis' voice speaking proper Imperial Basic, and not that rubbish those Republic nerf herders speak!_"

He could feel Zash's presence over there, where Juuldis' body lay bound on the floor. His smile diminished with each step he took as he approached Zash where she lay.

He undid her bonds and removed the Force suppression netting that wrapped her body. Then Nox took a step back and igniting one end of his sabrestaff, pointed it at Zash's face.

With a vicious and hateful snarl, Darth Nox demanded, "Do you still want me to kill you?! Do you still want to die?! Shall I end you?!"

Zash could feel the intense heat radiating from the end of Nox's deep red saber beam, inches from her face. It hummed menacingly at her.

She thought to herself, "_How wonderful! The heat on my face is wonderful! And it's such a beautiful red color!_"

Nox watched Zash's face. She smiled beatifically, as tears streamed from her eyes. Yet she moved carefully to get onto her hands and knees. A lightsaber beam hummed dangerously near her face, after all.

She lowered her head until her forehead touched the floor. The coolness of the floor felt wonderful on her forehead.

Zash spoke forcefully, "My life for yours, Master! I wish to live! Let me be of use to you, Darth Nox, Dark Lord of The Sith!"

Except for a sports bra and underpants, Zash was naked. As Nox deactivated his sabrestaff, he couldn't help but notice how attractive Juuldis' athletically tuned Amazonian body was.

He quickly banished the thought, as he admonished himself, "_No good could come of letting my guard down with Zash on the loose._" Aloud, Nox commanded, "Rise, Zash."

She obeyed and stood before him, her head bowed, as an obedient servant should.

Nox pointed to a pile of clothing, armor, and equipment, and said, "Get dressed, then meet me in my office. Ask Captain Drellik for directions."

He turned and walked to the exit of the clean room as Zash replied, "Yes, Dark Lord."

The door slid shut behind his departing form.

Zash walked over to the pile of things Nox had pointed out, and began dressing herself.

She commented aloud to no one in particular, "What dismal taste! I shall have to get new things for myself to wear, and..."

She paused as she studied the armor a little closer. Then she looked closely at the sabrestaff.

Zash exclaimed with mirth in her tone, "Oh, my!"

She laughed as she continued dressing. Then she noticed Talos Drellik, standing quietly behind the control panel of the mind trap Interface at the far end of the room.

Zash said to him, "Kallig certainly likes subduing Jedi, doesn't he?"

Talos, recalling Zash's infamy, replied carefully in a neutral tone, "The dark lord does as he sees fit, my lord, Zash." Then he asked her, "Does my lord, remember the way to The Offices of The Sphere of Ancient Knowledge? It is where Darth Nox's office is located."

Zash asked to confirm, "Sub-level 300, was it?"

Talos replied succinctly, "Yes, my lord."

After Zash had finished dressing, and began heading to the exit, he called to her, "My lord? If I may add a reminder?"

Zash turned to face Talos, and asked, a sharp edge in her tone, "A reminder, _Captain?_"

The way that she phrased that question made Talos realize that she might have taken it the wrong way.

He clarified, "I meant no disrespect, my lord. I just wanted you to be alert for Khem Val. He may still hold a grudge against you."

Zash laughed merrily, as she stepped through the door and left the clean room. The door slid shut, so Talos did not here her reply.

"_I_ may hold a grudge against him, too."

Talos found himself alone. He rubbed his temples and forehead to alleviate some of the stress he felt from that whole episode. He looked around at the thoroughly contaminated clean room, shaking his head in dismay. He wondered how much damage had been done to the ancient equipment in the laboratory.

He made a call for a team of decontamination droids to thoroughly sanitize the laboratory, and then took steps to properly shut down the mind trap interface. Talos made careful notes about the successful use of the Rakata mind trap interface to extract one mind, while imprisoning another.

He felt bitterly, as he wrote in his notes, "_The experiment was a complete success._"

* * *

Earlier, when Shahn had entered the clean room with Juuldis' unconscious form and began to strip her of her clothing and armor, Talos immediately sent a text message to Darth Nox. Shahn had Juuldis bound, netted, and gagged and set in front of the mind trap interface. When she demanded Talos to switch Juuldis for Zash, Darth Nox burst into the clean room and immediately blasted Shahn with Force Lightning. It went rapidly downhill from there, for Shahn.

Talos' thoughts were brought to the here and now, when the droids entered the room with their handler and special decontamination equipment. They immediately got to work. The droid handler made sure the droids understood their instructions before leaving Talos alone with the busy droids.

A few moments later, one of the droids approached Talos and said, "Master, it seems the Sith lord on the floor is alive. What are your instructions?"

Talos, on impulse, immediately called for a medical rescue team. Very shortly thereafter, a team consisting of two Imperial Army medics, two humanoid medical droids, and a hover-gurney-droid appeared on the scene. The medics issued instructions to their droids.

One medical droid injected Shahn with a specialized stimulant used to bring unconscious victims to consciousness, while the other medical droid called out Shahn's vital signs for the medics to hear. The second medical droid also made notes of Shahn's injuries, detailing the heavy damage to her face, the electrical burns on her face and body, and the lightsaber burns to her back, upper right arm, and her left outer thigh. The droid also detected the possibility of several cracked ribs on her left side.

It transmitted that information to the army medics' datapads, as it began to run a scan to calculate blood loss. The droids then loaded her onto the gurney-droid, which then levitated and began to take recordings of Shahn's vital signs, also transmitting that data to the army medics' datapads.

Talos, and the two medics stood way back, hidden behind laboratory equipment, as the droids did their work to revive Shahn and stabilize her condition.

One of the medics had told Talos, "We need to keep hidden, and quiet. This Sith is a known _life stealer_."

He showed Talos, pointing to an entry in Shahn's medical records. It was updated by a medical doctor who treated Shahn on Taris, not very long ago.

The other medic whispered very quietly to his colleague, "Where's that damned slave? He should have been here when we arrived."

Talos' heart raced apprehensively, as he watched Shahn weakly grasping at the droids attending her.

He thought to himself, "_I wonder if I should have called them. Perhaps she'll hold it against me that Darth Nox nearly killed her..._"

The other medic whispered quietly, tensely, into a short range audio communicator, "Take her up to the hospital, now. Quickly, move."

The droids began transporting Shahn out of the lab. Just then, the door slid open, a middle aged man entered the room, a shock collar on the back of his neck.

He reported, "I was told to come here to help clean this place up. Who's in charge?"

As the droids made their way past the slave with their patient, Shahn grasped the slave by the wrist. He howled in pain and attempted to break her grip. Shahn grunted weakly, as she fought to keep a hold of him, and drain the man of his life. The slave collapsed. Shahn allowed herself to fall out of the gurney, to fall on top of him, so that she could remain in contact with the slave as she consumed his life force.

She struggled to sit up, when the slave had died and she could no longer drain anymore of his life. Out of breath, she spoke with a very weak voice, which was slurred, because of the damage done to her face.

She told the droids attending her, "Droids..., help me up."

The two humanoid medical droids assisted Shahn back onto the gurney-droid. Then the three droids resumed their task of transporting her to the Imperial Army Hospital in The Citadel.

The two medics waited for the door to slide shut before approaching the dead man. They gave him a cursory examination, to see if there was anything they could do for him. There was not.

They left him where he lay. The two medics figured it was Talos' problem, and not theirs, of what to do with the corpse. The two left the lab, without speaking another word to Talos.

Talos ordered the decontamination droids, "Resume decontamination protocols."

Talos tried to get work done, but it was hard to concentrate with all that had gone on around him.

He murmured to himself, "_This has just been horrendous._"

Talos became surprised at his squeamishness and chided himself, thinking, "_I've worked with Sith for many, many years as an archaeologist in the Imperial Reclamation service. I've helped unearth many ancient Sith texts about strange dark Force rituals. I know damned well The Office of The Sphere of Ancient Knowledge is not just about preserving our Empire's history. It's also about rediscovering and reviving the Sith's dark arts. So, why should I be shocked to see it practiced here?_"

Aloud, Talos asked himself, "Why am I so squeamish?" He admonished himself aloud, "Grow a cast iron stomach, Talos!"

A few moments later, one of the droids approached Talos and said, "Master, it seems there is a dead Human male near the entrance. What are your instructions?"

Talos Drellik ordered the droid brusquely, "Contact your handler, and ask him for instructions. I'm busy, and can't be bothered."

He felt the sting of guilt, but shoved it out of his consciousness as he resolved to harden his heart.


	37. A Plotter of Ploys

A Plotter of Ploys

Darth Nox had just transmitted his latest orders to Lord Calaverous, along with all of the information Calaverous would need to immediately take control of Taris upon his arrival to the planet. He expected to hear from Calaverous in two weeks with his initial report. Now, however, it was time to meet with his _newest apprentice._

She had just arrived to his office from the clean room a few sub-levels below his office.

She got onto both knees and bowed to him, with her hands and her forehead on the carpeted floor in front of his desk, declaring, "My life for yours, Dark Lord! Command me!"

Nox had walked around from behind his desk and stood, stopping nearly five meters in front of it.

He said to her, "Zash, you may kneel. You do not need to grovel at my feet, but I do expect absolute obedience and loyalty from you. Disobedience from you will mean a return to the _whiteness_, or just plain death."

Nox nodded, as he confirmed what he had suspected. Zash silently lifted her head, while keeping her eyes at his feet thirty five meters away. Then she knelt on her right knee with her right fist planted on his rug. He knew that mentioning the whiteness had to have had an effect on her, but he could not sense her emotions nor see what she was feeling on her face.

He thought to himself, "_As I had suspected. Keeping her in line will be quite a challenge._"

Then he told her, "In three weeks, the Dark Council shall convene. At that time, I shall re-introduce you. You and I shall play a small prank on them."

He waited to see what Zash would say.

She looked up, meeting his eyes, and asked, "A prank? What do you intend, Dark Lord?"

Nox was a little disappointed with Zash's response. He had learned from her how to scheme, how to out maneuver, and how to manipulate others. He figured she would have giggled in glee at a chance for mischief and deceit.

Nox asked her, "Zash, what do you think will go through their minds when they sense _your presence_ in the Council chambers?"

Zash replied, "That you've brought me back out of the mind trap…,"

She paused, as the light came on in her eyes.

She said, as a wry grin slowly spread across her face, "They all think I'm dead."

Still with her lopsided grin, she asked with humor in her tone, "You never told them I was shoved into that infernal device, didn't you, Dark Lord? You allowed them all to continue believing that you had killed me in the old temple, didn't you, Dark Lord?"

Darth Nox was pleased that the mind trap had not ravaged her mind. He was pleased that her mind remained sharp. He wanted and needed her sharp intellect and her cunning instincts, but he would have to watch for her traps. Nox knew she would surely betray him and lay traps for him.

He asked her, "So, what do you suppose they'll think I've done, Zash?"

Zash shook her head slowly, as her mischievous grin spread further across her face.

She asked, a bit of incredulity tinting her tone, "Do you really intend to lie to the Dark Council?"

Nox waved his hand and rolled his eyes, dismissing the notion and telling Zash, "Of course not. They'll ask, and I'll simply tell them that I won't divulge my secrets. Let them think whatever they wish, but I'm certain they'll conclude that I've somehow managed a dark ritual to bring you back from beyond The Force."

Zash nodded agreement, and added, "It wouldn't hurt to plant a few rumors that you've done just that. Rumors are rumors, not lies. They can't fault you if they believed the rumors, Dark Lord."

Nox kept silent for a brief moment, as he tried to decide how far he could trust her, but he had already brought her out of her prison, and he had already told her as much as he did.

He thought to himself, "_Well, it's too late, now. I may as well go all out._" Aloud, Nox confirmed to Zash, "I've already seen to planting the seeds of rumor." Then he said, as though he'd doubted the rumors would be believed, "I want them to believe the rumors. I don't want them to learn the truth."

Zash nodded her understanding and asked, "Can you trust your people to keep silent?"

Nox asked her pointedly, "Well, Zash, can I trust _you to keep silent?_"

Zash was brought up short, becoming a bit offended that Nox thought her a potential blabbermouth.

However, she quickly replied, "I would love nothing better than to see the wool pulled over their eyes. I will most definitely not utter a word of this outside of this room."

Then she realized the harm that she could cause him if she did leak out the truth. And she realized that Nox had also seen the potential for harm, as well.

She thought to herself, "_Then he will definitely not take his eyes off of me. It will be difficult to do anything if he has me watched all of the time._"

Which Zash realized was going to be the case. Putting Nox's coming surveillance of her every move aside, Zash commented to him about his plans.

"It will certainly elevate your status in their minds as someone comparable to Tulak Hord, Naga Sadow, Marka Ragnos, or..." She hesitated, and smiling wryly, concluded, _"Vitiate."_

Very few knew the Emperor's true name. To nearly everyone in the galaxy, his name was _The Emperor_.

Nox smiled conspiratorially and nodded his satisfaction at Zash's very keen observation. He knew that he would be perceived as comparable to the Sith Emperor himself, if he could pull off his deception.

He told her simply, "Good. You understand."

Nox abruptly changed the subject and commanded, "Now, tell me. Where did you hide all of Tulak Hord's artifacts, the ones I recovered for you? I've searched everywhere for them, and I could not find them."

Zash immediately replied, "Then you have not looked hard enough." Almost too late, she remembered to append, "Dark Lord." She continued, almost without pause, "Unless someone's moved it, it should be in one of the vaults down below, in a suspension crate labeled 'Z's dusty old hoarded things.' _Hoarded_, as in Tulac _Hord_'s name, not the actual word. It's in the vault labeled Miscellany on the 317th sub-level."

Without missing a beat, Nox commanded his ship droid, "2V-R8, assemble a security droid detail, and retrieve that suspension crate. Bring it here to me. Move quickly!"

2V-R8 walked briskly to the door of Nox's office as it replied, "As you wish, Master."

As the door slid shut behind the droid's hurried departure, Darth Nox walked around to the back of his desk.

When he sat in his chair, he told Zash, "You may rise."

Zash rose to her feet and looked at him. Nox pointed to a chair set in front of his desk and said, "Sit there."

Zash walked forty meters to the chair Nox had indicated. As she neared the chair, a movement to her left caught the corner of her eye. She turned her head in that direction and saw Khem Val's gigantic green eight foot frame as he leaned against the wall. His massive arms were folded across his even more massive chest.

Zash halted her steps just next to the chair, and locked eyes with the Dashade.

She quipped, "My old roommate."

Khem unfolded his arms and stood away from the wall. His breathing became heavy as his fury rose, but he remained silent.

Nox ordered Zash, with annoyance edging his tone, "Zash, I said, _sit_."

Zash immediately returned her eyes to Nox and apologized as she sat, "I'm sorry, Dark Lord. I was distracted with some unpleasant memories."

Irritatedly, Nox asked, "Do I need to tell you to stay away from Khem Val? I need you both, and I cannot afford any distractions at this point."

Zash quickly replied, as she bowed her head, "No, Dark Lord. I understand."

Nox replied, "Good."

However, his tone suggested that he didn't believe her.

Zash knew that, without a doubt, Nox would destroy her if she made a move against Khem Val.

However, she vowed to herself, "_One day, I will have my chance. I'll simply bide my time and wait for an opportunity to come._"

She knew, that one day, one would present itself to her, and when it did she would strike Khem Val down.

Then she cautioned herself, "_That sneaky pile of filth, Khem Val, is likely thinking about biding his time to make a meal out of me._"

She realized she needed to be careful and watch her back around him.

Nox, wishing to waste no more time, got to business.

He'd gotten Zash's attention again, when he told her, "You need to be brought up to date with what's been happening of late. Please pay attention."

Zash thought to herself, "_Truly, my old apprentice has changed. He is far less trusting, and far more stronger than he was before. It will not be easy to find weaknesses to exploit._" Aloud, Zash replied, "Yes, Dark Lord."

Nox couldn't read Zash at all. He realized that as far as strong apprentices went, she truly was someone he could not take his eyes off, not even once.

He thought to himself, "_I'll need to get Keeper to establish surveillance of her, soon._"

Darth Nox explained to Zash, "I'm locked in another Kaggath with another Dark Councilor."

Zash forgot herself and interrupted Nox, laughing out loud.

She clapped her hands together with delight, and left them clasped at her chest, declaring, "Wonderful! I am brought back into the world of the living, and the first thing I find myself involved in is another power struggle!" She laughed merrily, adding, "It makes being alive - _again_, worth it!"

Though terribly displeased at being interrupted, Nox hid his displeasure as he thought of her, "_That's the Zash I remember!_"

He said to Zash, feigning good humor, "Don't think that's the only reason you're back." He lied, saying, "It's always been my intention to bring you back out, but in those days I wasn't strong enough to keep you in check. I just didn't expect to bring you out so soon."

Then he told the truth, "I needed a powerful new ally to replace Ashara after I had accidentally killed her."

Nox began to realize how much he needed Ashara, especially in light of how much he truly hated Zash.

After his moment's reflection, he added soberly, "I was angry at her."

Zash was almost surprised to hear of Ashara's demise.

She said as though it were a matter of inevitability, "She _was_ quite stubborn about insisting that she was still a Jedi and all of that. It's no wonder she didn't last."

Nox's eyes became introspective, as he reflected, "Yet she was the most trustworthy ally I had, and I mistakenly killed her during a fit of rage." Then, looking at Zash with an ironic grin on his face, he told her, "Which is why you are here. You are my new, _most trusted ally._"

He almost laughed at his own irony.

Zash shook her head, smiling with real mirth, at Nox's ironic declaration, and confessed, "Somehow, I fail to believe anything you've told me, except for the part where you'd said you had killed Ashara, and that you're in another blood feud with someone on the Dark Council."

She enjoyed watching Nox's false smile, lose some of it's luster.

Then she added, "I had some of the most wonderfully illuminating conversations with Captain Drellik, while I was still inside of that infernal device. He told me of your adventures on Taris, when you were _looking_ for my prison."

Nox's false smile faltered even more.

Zash, laughing inwardly, thought, "_Ha! Got you!_"

Then she looked at her hands and arms, admiringly, as she continued speaking, "Taris is also where you found this wonderful new body for me! I am so grateful! Thank you!" She looked at Nox and said, quite brazenly, "Dark Lord, you and I have so much catching up to do, but I think base lies shouldn't be a part of our dialog with one another."

Nox didn't like being called a liar, even if he was lying.

He told her, as he pulled hard on the reins of his deepening displeasure, "Zash, you'll learn that my patience has a very finite limit and that at some point, if you cross that threshold, you will find that I am much more willing to sacrifice even my best tools if the whim strikes me to. Do not test me, and do not forget that you serve _me_."

Zash thought about how Nox had described Ashara as his most trusted and able ally, and how he'd killed her out of anger. It gave her a measure of his ruthlessness.

However, she spoke defiantly, "It is true, Dark Lord. You have grown very powerful indeed, but you _cannot hold onto me_ forever. One day, The Force shall free me, as I break the chains with which you've shackled me."

Nox leaned back in his chair, choosing to allow Zash this small bit of defiance.

He declared, "That is the Sith Code. I am a true adherent of it. It is why I strive for greater power. I long to break free of the rules and restraints of the Dark Council. I long to rule over the Dark Council, but I need to establish my supremacy over them, first."

Saying thus, he brought the conversation back to its original focus.

Nox studied her as he contemplated, "_Just how much use can I get out of her before I have to kill her?_"

Nox, not wanting to repeat what was already known, asked, "How much has Captain Drellik told you about my feud with Darth Acina?"

Zash got to the point, telling Nox, "That she's infiltrated your power base: that she's exposed your failure to turn Ashara to the Dark Side: that you took Taris and her servant, Darth Komo, from her: and that she's killed your family and destroyed your most opulent palace."

She looked off to one side, as she tried to recall if there was anything else she might have missed.

Zash concluded, as she returned her gaze to Nox, "I think that's all of it."

Nox thought, with some surprise, _"Perhaps I've allowed Drellik too much freedom of movement. I'll have to speak to him about loose lips..."_ Aloud he said, "Then you also know about the political mess I'm in."

Zash told Nox plainly, "Parlor tricks before the Dark Council will not erase the fact that Acina has struck hard at you. Even if the Dark Councilors are wowed by your ability to bring back the dead, that will not erase the fact that you appear weak in the face of what Acina has done to you."

Nox replied testily, "I'm dealing with that!" He paused briefly, then proceeded more calmly, "I want to focus on the next step, which _is_ to wow the Dark Council. I want them all to fear me. When I've done both, which is to destroy Acina, and then to conduct my _parlor trick_, I will emerge as the Dark Councilor most to fear - _and to obey_."

Zash asked, incredulity in her tone, "You think they'll obey you above Vitiate?!

Nox immediately replied, "Of course not. Until I've learned how he's managed to live forever and how he's managed to have so much control over The Force, I don't believe I'll be able to challenge _him_. But I _can_ supplant Darth Marr as the de facto head of the Dark Council."

Nox informed her, "There are only three weeks left before the Dark Council meeting on Korriban. I have convinced Darth Marr to allow me to introduce my _newest apprentice_ at the meeting."

Nox had pointed at Zash as he'd said that last part.

After a pause, he added, "Before then, I want to have destroyed Acina's powerbase and to bring humiliation and shame to her. I will prove, once and for all, just how powerful I am and that I am not to be trifled with."

Zash remained silent as she thought to herself, "_Finding weaknesses in him will be a lot harder than I had anticipated. A chance to kill him may not present itself for a long while._"

Then she thought to herself, "_I could stand to gain a great deal from this parlor trick, myself... Or, I could ruin him in the Dark Council Chambers, but would the Dark Councilors reward me with his seat, or will they also turn on me?_"

Then she realized, "_Just for being Darth Zash, I'll have considerable influence over the Dark Councilors. So, even if Kallig does manage to wow the Dark Council, if I bide my time and kill him later, I will be guaranteed to be given his seat on the Dark Council._"

Nox, sensing that her mind was elsewhere, snapped her from her revelry, telling Zash, "Which brings me to _your first_ assignment."

Nox watched as her eyes regained their focus on him.

Then he told her, "It is not a difficult task at all, but it is very important. I want you to go up to a Super dreadnought in obit called the _Reaver_. I want you to protect a captured prisoner there. I want you to oversee his recovery from his very life threatening injuries. If needed, I want you to _assist_ with his interrogation."

Nox could see the displeasure on Zash's face. He surmised that perhaps she felt rankled at being given such a novice's assignment.

He told her, "This prisoner is one of the surviving pilots that bombed my stronghold and killed my children. He has information that can help lead me to the evidence I'll need to implicate Acina. You can imagine the powerful assassins she'll likely send against him, yes?"

The light of understanding came to Zash's eyes.

She said, "If he can be linked to your enemy, then Acina will likely act as soon as she discovers he's on an Imperial warship."

Nox nodded and said, "I cannot send ordinary Sith on this assignment. It is too important. That is why you must go. You must see to it nothing happens to him nor to my investigators."

Zash replied, "I will not allow anything to happen to them, but I hope you will not blame me if the pilot decides to die on his own."

Nox pointed out to her, "It is why, I have my spies there. They will carry out their assignments. You will be there to assist them, if needed, and to deal with any assassins Acina sends." Nox added, "One more thing. You will use the name _Juuldis - Vannithana - Resh_."

He'd spaced her name out, so that Zash could see it was a three part name.

Nox explained, "You will be recognized as _Juuldis_. So, use that name until the Dark Council meeting."

Zash, understanding the need for secrecy, replied, "Ah! Yes. Of course, Dark Lord."

She repeated her new name aloud.

"Juuldis Vannithana Resh."

She understood this would be her disguise until Nox unveiled her to the Dark Council. Nox nodded confirmation, that she'd pronounced her alias correctly.

Then Zash gave thanks, silently, to her benefactor, "_Thank you, Juuldis, for giving me your body._"

Zash laughed inwardly as she imagined Juuldis complaining in reply, "_Hey! I didn't give you anything! You took it from me!_"

Before dismissing her, he asked Zash, "Is there anything you want? Anything you need?"

Zash clasped her hands together, and smiling in her most charming manner, replied, "Oh dear, yes!"

Nox's nerves grated against her false charm, but he hid is disgust of her, as he asked, "Is it something you can't get for yourself?"

Zash reminded him, "Well, Dark Lord, when you _killed_ me, you took everything I had ever owned. Didn't you? I expect I'm a pauper these days, and I _can't_ get anything for myself."

Nox, smiling in genuine -_ if grudging and contradictory _\- admiration, said to her, "It didn't take long at all, Zash. From a poor frightened and desperate prisoner, to a confident, playful plotter of ploys, all in less time than it took you to get dressed and make your way into my office."

Nox thought to himself a second time, "_Keeping her in line will be a lot harder than I thought. How long can I make use of her before I have to kill her?_"

Nox opened a small drawer in his desk and picked up a credit card. He stuck it into a datapad that he took out from his utility belt, and tapped a few buttons on the touch screen. Then he tossed the card towards her and watched it slide to a stop near the far edge of his desk.

Zash picked up the credit card and stuck it in a compartment in her utility belt, and said, "Thank you. I'll pay this back. The first thing I'm going to do is buy new robes and armor for myself. I just don't understand how Jedi can wear such drab attire." She thought to herself, "_I'll have to steal a lightsaber from someone. I can't see myself using a sabrestaff._"

Nox said, "Then get started. When my spies have gotten what they need, return to me for new orders."

Zash stood up and bowed, saying, "As you say, Dark Lord." She added, quite sincerely, "And thank you, truly, for getting me out of there. Even if it was never your original intent. Thank you."

She turned and walked away. Nox watched silently as she passed through the door, just over a hundred meters away, and watched as it slid shut behind her.

Nox immediately turned to Khem Val and said, "You did well keeping your temper under control, Khem. Don't worry. One day your chance will come, but not now."

Khem Val said, in great frustration, "Master, I will kill her, and I will let her meat go to waste out of spite! Just tell me when you'll allow it. I look forward to that day."

Nox thought to himself, "_Sorry Khem, that day will never come for you. She's too strong for you._" Aloud, Nox cautioned Khem Val, "Not before I give the word, Khem. Not before."


	38. The Serpent Coils To Strike

The Serpent Coils To Strike

A week had passed since the deaths of his only two children and the destruction of his most opulent residence with his most prized trophies and some of the rarest ancient art pieces anywhere in the galaxy. Although the attack did not put much of a dent into his personal fortune, Acina had destroyed what he had prized most. In so doing, Acina had seriously hurt his standing, not only within the Dark Council, but throughout the galaxy.

_This was news!_

Certainly, it was news within the Sith Empire, but it had also made news throughout the Galactic Republic. The Galactic Republic Chancellor had gloated about the apparent schism in the Dark Council to all of the major news outlets in Republic space. Naturally, news outlets in Hutt space, the Outer Rim, and even in some places within the Sith Empire, carried news of the Chancellor's words. He spun it as an example of the Sith hierarchy's fragmenting solidarity caused by the Republic's quick string of victories in the war against the Sith Empire.

Nox scoffed at the Chancellor's assertions.

"Such Rubbish!"

What was of real concern to him were the rumors spreading like wildfire within the circles of power throughout the Sith Empire. The worst of the rumors making the rounds was that he'd been _nerfed_ by Acina's brazen attack. Acina had denied perpetrating the attack, instead blaming the Republic, following the official Imperial account of events, all while smirking. That smirk of hers really set his blood to boil. He suddenly had a real intense desire to smash his fist through her face.

However, Nox asked himself, "_How was it rumored? Who started the rumor that it was Acina who attacked my home?_"

The official Imperial government account on the matter was that it was a targeted Republic strike, directed against Darth Nox, in retaliation for his exceptional victories against the Republic over the last several years on Balmora, Taris (years earlier), Corellia, Ilum, and just recently, Taris again. There was no room for rumors in the official Imperial account that allowed for pointing suspicion towards Acina.

Yet, the Republic Chancellor happily blared out those rumors throughout the galaxy, while those within the Sith Empire's circles of power verified the truth of those rumors in whispers to one another.

The answer that made the most sense to him was that it was Acina, herself, who had started those rumors. Nox thought of tasking Keeper with tracing the source of the rumors, but decided against it. He felt he had enough evidence as it was. Nox, sitting at his desk, re-read the heavily encrypted report in the datapad hand carried, to his office, by one of Keeper's agents.

The report read, "_Dark Lord, as you had suspected, the Republic were not behind the attack. The ships were stolen by Exchange pirates, two from the Republic - from the same squadron, and the remaining three were 'stolen' from Hutt security forces stationed on Nar Shaddaa._

"_In the case of the Republic fighters, we suspect collusion between corrupt military officials, and The Exchange. However with limited assets, I decided against pursuing an investigation that would require penetrating Republic security on a military base._

"_The suspicion comes from a cryptic message, lifted from computers on Nar Shaddaa belonging to one of the Exchange leaders involved with the theft, which eluded to the 'cheap cost of doing business with Republic Officers,' as it related to how the ships were so easily stolen. As for the Hutt Security Forces fighterships, there is evidence that those three were straight out purchased in an illicit trade with corrupt Hutt security officials stationed there, but those were reported as stolen just the same._

"_The ships were ostensibly sold to the Hutts on Quesh. As you know, those Hutts had fallen out of favor with the Hutt Cartel for breaking the Cartel's neutrality and siding with the Republic. However, the Quesh Hutts never received delivery, nor did their financial dealings reflect that any such transaction had occurred._

"_We've discovered that the ships were actually delivered to Hoth, where the White Maw Pirates took delivery. The White Maw Pirates then repainted the ships, purchased from the Nar Shaddaa security forces, to match the stolen Republic fighters' paint scheme. We believe they may have been on a limited time schedule, because they failed to copy the squadron markings of the Republic fighters onto the Hutt fighters, which was why they had no markings._

"_The White Maw Pirates then transported the ships to Tatooine, and sold them back to the Exchange gang for double what the Quesh Hutts purportedly paid. The Exchange paid, twenty billion credits for the five ships from one of their financial accounts on Hutta, and had forty billion credits deposited to the very same account, on the day of the attack, from an account on Dromund Kaas. The Dromund Kaas account belongs to the Office of The Sphere of Technology._

"_The only thing the surviving Exchange pirate, piloting one of the destroyed fighters, admitted to knowing was that he'd spent a few weeks in Tatooine's deep desert with the other pilots. They trained together with full scale mock-ups of Dromund Tower and the other towers around it before coming here for the actual operation._

"_However, we also learned that he is associated with the Exchange on Tatooine. Thanks to the assistance of your servant, Lord Juuldis, we have gotten a list of names of the Exchange's executive leadership, on Tatooine, from the captured pilot._

"_They are the likeliest to have organized and carried out the attack, but we will also look at the Exchange leadership on Nar Shaddaa. We believe we can develop intelligence that would directly implicate the contact who hired them if we investigate these leaders. We will continue to investigate the matter as we try to ascertain who gave the Exchange on Tatooine and or Nar Shaddaa their target._"

The report was signed, "_In your service, Keeper._"

Nox gave a mirthless chuckle and repeated what he'd just read, aloud, "Try to ascertain who gave them their target, eh?"

The answer was painfully obvious. This was the second time that evidence pointed directly at Acina. On Taris, she'd sent Komo a directive to have Nox assassinated, with _her seal_ on the directive. Now here she was, transferring forty billion credits to the pirates who had attacked his home and killed his children.

Nox shook his head in disbelief as he thought, "_All of the trouble that the Exchange gang went through to cover their tracks, and she made her payment to them directly from an account belonging to her Sphere of Influence._" Nox growled out in disgust, "_Imbecile!_"

Nox shook his head, and thought derisively of himself, "_How can I be having so much trouble with someone so damned stupid!_"

Nox had ordered Keeper to give copies of his report to Darths Mar, Mortis, and Ravage on the Dark Council. With this, he had satisfied the requirement to have the proof needed before he could go after Acina.

Darth Nox then contacted Moff Valion Pyron on a heavily encrypted channel from his desk top holo-transmitter and held a conference with him. He had already formulated his response to Acina's attack, but he needed to get the pieces moving.

Moff Pyron seemed uncharacteristically reserved when Nox started the meeting with him. He understood what that meant and took steps to immediately snap Pyron out of his doubts.

Darth Nox said, "You haven't said very much, Moff. What's got you so quiet? Usually, you'd have a briefing for me, and ask for orders. Speak up."

The moff was never one to mince words. He spoke plainly.

"Dark Lord, it doesn't look good from where I'm standing. I find it hard to believe, but word is spreading rampantly that Darth Acina has beaten you. Word is that it's just a matter of time before your eventual fall. Everyone's waiting to hear the news of _your own demise_. Of course, since I backed you against Thanaton, my reputation is riding on whether you overcome this difficulty, Dark Lord."

Nox had expected doubts from Pyron, but he did not expect such pessimism. It sounded to him as though Valion Pyron meant to back away from the dark lord.

Nox, his fury beginning to percolate from beneath his calm facade, said, "Pyron, if you abandon me now, I will personally go to your flagship and kill you on your own bridge. You had better not underestimate my power. There's a lot going on behind the scenes that will become quite apparent when the time comes."

The moff remained silent.

Nox warned him menacingly, "Do not anger me, Pyron. Do not cross me."

Valion Pyron, did not respond to Nox's threats, as real as those were.

Instead, he told Darth Nox, "I've stuck my neck out for you once before, Dark Lord, when I backed you against Thanaton, and I'll continue to stick my neck out for you. I must believe in you. I have seen you triumph time and again against your most powerful foes. Why should this be any different?"

The light went on in Pyron's eyes, and a grim smile spread across his skeletal features, as he came to realize, "Dark Lord, you're ready to move against your enemy, aren't you?"

After a short pause, during which Nox remained silent, Moff Pyron understood that Nox had a mission for him.

He asked, "Then, what are my orders, Dark Lord?"

Nox got straight to the point, speaking without hesitation.

"Utter secrecy, is required. Make up false reasons for orders _you_ will issue, and do not let your officers know that I'm the source of the orders you will issue."

Pyron nodded his understanding and acknowledged, "As you say, Dark Lord."

Darth Nox then tasked Moff Pyron with sending three Gage-class troop transports to Dromund Kaas, each loaded with a shock troop division, their equipment and their supplies, and to have them rendezvous with, and to become attached to, Lord Kirnon's 3027th Naval Task Force. Pyron wondered what Nox intended to do with so many troops, until Nox gave him his next set of orders.

"I want you to locate the Arcanum."

Moff Valion Pyron raised an eyebrow and said, awe in his voice, "You're going to cut her down at the knees, and then decapitate her."

However, the moff also saw a problem with Nox's plan, and asked, "But, will you not also incur the ire of the Emperor? Wouldn't his Hand and his Wrath have something to say about it?"

Nox replied flatly, "I will deal with that when the time comes." Then Darth Nox told Moff Pyron, "I will send to you _specialized help_. They are formerly members of Imperial Intelligence. They're quite good. Give them whatever aid they need to find their quarry. When you've found it, report to me."

Moff Pyron replied, with fire in his tone, "As you say, Dark Lord!"

Acina had moved the Emperor's secret space station in order to prevent further incursions as had occurred about a year before when one of her apprentices, Lord Tagriss, betrayed her and organized a raid to steal artifacts from the vaults within. He then gave the stolen artifacts to his new masters, the Dread Masters.

The Dread Masters were traitors who'd turned their backs on the Emperor and on the Sith Empire. Acina was personally selected by The Emperor's Hand to protect the secrets held within the Arcanum space station, and she had failed. Although, she had later recovered the stolen artifacts, the damage had been done to her reputation. She was perceived as weak, unable to control her servants and minions.

With that in mind, Nox said to Pyron, "What better way to completely humiliate her than by invading the station and wresting it entirely from her control, thus exposing her weakness? That is, that she couldn't manage a simple task on Taris, and that she is incapable of guarding the Emperor's treasures."

Nox not wanting to appear weak before Moff Pyron, pointed out to him, "All that she has managed to do to me is destroy one of my houses and to kill my children, Pyron. _I_ took Taris from her, and _I'll_ take the Arcanum, too. I'll draw her out onto the Dark Council chamber floor, and slay her there, as well!"

Pyron, still worried about whether taking part in Nox's plans constituted treason against the Emperor, said in a neutral tone, "And you will gain the Emperor's treasured secrets _for yourself,_ Dark Lord."

Nox corrected the moff, replying, "Hardly. I intend to immediately return his property undisturbed. My only goal is to embarrass Acina." Nox concluded, "When the operation is completed, your ships and your troops will be returned to you, as well."

Now that it was clear to him, that Nox was not going to challenge the Emperor, Pyron's blood boiled with anticipation. Indeed, he'd already been sticking his neck out for Darth Nox, telling his colleagues that Nox would strike soon, and strike spectacularly.

Having heard Nox's plans, he admitted to himself, "The dark lord is certainly _not_ going to make a liar out of _me!_" If successful, Nox's strike against his enemy was going to be much more than just merely spectacular!

However, to hear Nox write off the loss of his home and even the loss of his own children as inconsequential, was a bit too coldhearted for the moff.

In the end, he conceded to himself that, "_Darth Nox is a Sith, after all._"

* * *

Lord Kirnon received a heavily encrypted text communication from Darth Nox. He sat in the state room of the dreadnought _Carnage_, formally occupied by Darth Achelon. His lord, Darth Nox, had given him Darth Achelon's powerbase as a prize, and that included the naval task force he now commanded.

The task force comprised the Harrower-class dreadnought, _Carnage_ and her three Terminus-class destroyer escorts, sixteen Fury class Interceptors, and two fighter wings stationed aboard the _Carnage_. His new task force continued its previous mission of patrolling a sector of space containing a cluster of twenty six star systems, of which the Tatoo binary solar system was one.

Lord Kirnon had made sure of his hold on Achelon's powerbase and all of his wealth when he had all of Achelon's minions hunted down and killed, not just his Sith apprentices. In fact, he maintained his business relations with the Mando battalion commander to do the hunting and killing for him. Kirnon had sent his three apprentices to Tatooine, to Achelon's personal estate, and had his family slaughtered along with all of his personal servants and slaves.

He seized all of Achelon's financial assets and real properties on Tatooine and Dromund Kaas as prizes granted to him by Darth Nox. Kirnon recovered his immense expenses for his operation against Achelon, and made a huge profit as well. The only thing left to do was to receive his title, and that was what the first part of the communications was about.

Lord Kirnon was to appear before Darth Nox on Dromund Kaas, with his naval task force in orbit over the capital of the Sith Empire, to be conferred with the title, _Darth_.

Darth Nox wrote, "_When you have decided it, tell me the name by which you wish to be known, and I shall grant it, along with your new title._"

The other part of the communications ordered, "_While in orbit over Dromund Kaas, you will attach to your naval task force three Gage-class troop transports from Moff Pyron's fleet. The three transports are each loaded with one Imperial Army Shock Troop division, with all of their supplies, equipment, service and war droids, and vehicles. When you have completed all of your business on Dromund Kaas, you are to disappear into deep space, somewhere in the galaxy, with your augmented naval task force to await further orders._"

Kirnon had been hearing rumors that it was Acina that had attacked Nox's residence on Dromund Kaas. The rumors, furthermore, reported that his dark lord's two children were both killed in the attack. He suspected that Nox was planning something, but he could not guess at what it might be.

However, three divisions of Imperial shock troops were being added to his naval task force. To Kirnon that meant an invasion, somewhere. With what had happened to Nox, _if the rumors were true_, and Kirnon believed the rumors, Kirnon surmised that the invasion was going to happen to something that belonged to Acina. Kirnon had no idea what Nox would strike at, but he had no doubt that Darth Nox was going to tell him soon.

He looked forward to it. He was beginning to lose faith in his dark lord because of Nox's silence since the attack, but now it became apparent that Darth Nox had been moving silently all along. At least, that is what he'd hoped.

The last line in Nox's orders to him gave him that hope and fed his desire to avenge the insult visited on his dark lord.

Nox wrote, "_Gather your full strength. You will need everything you have when the time comes. The time will come soon._"

* * *

Andronikos Revel was enjoying a leisurely drink and a friendly game of pazaak with the union boss and a couple of foremen that led crews working on Nox's new ship. Everything looked great. Andronikos had already fired off his report to Nox. It was nothing but good news.

Andronikos had gotten to know the union boss through the boss' foremen, and had worked out a deal with him that would get the shipwrights, engineers, and construction droid handlers to add another shift to the project to work around the clock. The three shifts of skilled workers would not only work around the clock, but they would increase their work pace. The union boss promised the increased work pace would not compromise the quality of the work nor the safety of the ship's crew when the work was completed.

In exchange, the workers would get paid double time for their whole shifts everyday they worked on this job. They would also get twenty five percent of a day's doubled wages, as a bonus, for each day they cut from the scheduled delivery date.

The three foremen would get their daily doubled wages, and get seventy five percent of a day's doubled wages for everyday they cut from the delivery date. The union boss was getting his own hefty bonus, for allowing the _temporary lifting_ of the work conditions rules that his union had fought so hard for. Plus, if the work was done in less than two weeks, he'd get another bonus equal to the original bonus he'd gotten for allowing the temporary lifting of the labor rules.

Uradnay Fenk wasn't left out in the cold, either. In addition to getting a little extra for himself to look the other way, he didn't have to worry about paying all of those extra wages generated from the increased work force, nor would he need to pay for any of the doubled hourly wages and bonuses, out of Tandankin Shipyards' accounts.

He was being directly funded, for all of that, by The Office of The Sphere of Ancient Knowledge. Uradnay had been helping himself to a little extra from these funds. He was never so happy to do business with Sith in his entire career. He paid off his two mortgages for two large estates he was buying, and still had enough left over to retire most comfortably, if he chose to.

The deal had, in effect, guaranteed delivery of Nox's ship in much less than a couple of weeks' time instead of the few months that had originally been planned for. The trade off was that it increased the costs of the retrofit by a whopping one hundred and sixty four percent!

Andronikos didn't worry over the cost. Nor did he worry over the extra hundred million credits he put away towards his own retirement fund. The Empire had extraordinarily deep pockets, and no one was going to ask too many questions of a Dark Lord on the Dark Council as to why _his_ ship had cost so much.

Andronikos wasn't one to pay attention to the news reported over the holonet, but one of the foremen kept tabs on it since he owned shares of Tandankin Shipyards stock. He raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips as he passed his portable holo viewer to Andronikos.

He said, "Read _this_."

Andronikos put his drink down and picked up the portable holo viewer to read it. Andronikos' pazaak face did not betray the dread that filled his mind.

He passed the viewer back and asked, "What of it?"

The foreman, a little surprised at Andronikos' response, asked, "What do you mean, '_what of it?_' That's your bosses' house that got bombed and his kids that got killed, right?"

Andronikos maintained his impassive facade as he asked, "And?"

The foreman, becoming a bit irritated at the pirate, asked a little excitedly, "Isn't that gonna put a damper on our deal? The Republic just bombed your boss' house!"

The union boss took the holo viewer from his friend and started reading. He mumbled, "This news is a week old..."

Andronikos feigned surprise at the implications the foreman levied.

He said, "What?! We're talking about a Sith, here. Not just some ordinary Sith, either. This one's a dark lord on the Dark Council. His heart died years ago. Losing his kids in that bombing isn't what's gonna be on his mind.

"What's on his mind, right now, is getting revenge. I'd bet the Chancellor gets killed soon. He's making my boss look bad. He's over there gloating and laughing about it, trying to say it was another Dark Council member that did it, and..."

The union boss, interrupting Andronikos, asked, "What if it was another dark councilor that did it?"

Andronikos laughed at the absurdity of it, and said, "Come on! We're at war with the Republic! That report says it was Republic ships that did the bombing."

He laughed again, but when he saw that the others didn't laugh with him, he changed his tactics.

Laughing smugly, and speaking confidently, he said conspiratorially, "From where I sit, it's nothing but upside - _for me_. Even if it _was_ another dark councilor that did it, if my boss wins, I get an increase in pay and bonuses. And if my boss loses..." Andronikos smiled like the pirate that he was, and said, "I'm _still_ captain of that ship, and that ship is paid in full. So, it still needs to get built..."

The union boss, unimpressed, asserted, "Yeah, but the double time wages, and the bonuses aren't covered in the '_paid in full_' part."

Andronikos smirked as he pulled his credit card from his wallet and inserted it into his datapad. Hoping against hope, he gambled as he made a few key punches. Risking everything, he set it down on the table, without even looking at it, and slid it towards the union boss and his foremen.

His well masked fears, melted away as he watched the three men nod their heads with deep appreciation for what they saw. What they saw was a large three digit number followed by many, many commas and other large three digit numbers, and a hefty number of zeros thrown in for good measure.

Andronikos had gambled that Nox hadn't cut his budget, and won. The union boss pushed the datapad back towards Andronikos. Andronikos picked up his datapad and removed the credit card from it. He resisted the urge to look at it, as he put his datapad and credit card away.

Then he told them, with a smug look on his face, "Don't worry boys. The Empire has you covered."

Andronikos picked up his drink to take another sip, but he ended up gulping it down in one go. As he set his drink glass down, he could not help but thank the stars that he'd gotten this deal through, and that he still had his budget in place to finish paying for everything.

With what he'd just found out, about Nox's personal war, with whoever it was that bombed his house, he knew that Nox would want his ship very soon.

He asked himself, "_Damn! What'd the boss do to piss the Republic off so bad that they'd attack him, like it was all personal?!_"

Andronikos worked to calm his pounding heart and quiet his screaming nerves, as he gathered the pazaak cards and started shuffling.

His pazaak face still on, Andronikos thought it a good sign that the union boss refilled his drink glass with a big friendly grin on his face.

With a big smile of his own, masking his worries, he asked his new business partners, "How about another round?"


	39. Ghosts, Forgiveness, and Resolve

Ghosts, Forgiveness, and Resolve

Nox instructed 2V-R8 to get his personal speeder ready and to meet him at the speeder port at the main level of The Citadel. Having gotten the pieces moving for his counter offensive against Acina, he felt a need to leave his offices and to go to the ruins of his once opulent residence. He didn't understand why, but deep down inside he just felt that he needed to be there. 

As he left his office, he thought on his conversation with Moff Pyron. It worried him that Acina's actions had hurt him worse than he'd imagined. His servant, Lord Kirnon's reply was also worrisome to him.

It was very short, to the point, and lacked any flowery platitudes. Worse of all, it mentioned nothing of Acina's attack on his Dromund Kaas estate, nor did Kirnon make any vows of swift retribution on Nox's enemies.

It simply read, "_Dark Lord. I look forward to receiving my title, and look forward to continue in your service and to bring you greater glory._" It was signed, "_Your servant, Lord Kirnon._"

Nox was incredulous as he pondered Kirnon's words, "_He looks forward to_ '_continue in my service?_' _He says that as though he has a choice._"

Nox found himself in the cavernous building lobby and had no recollection of how he'd gotten there. Somehow, he'd made his way through the labyrinth of offices and passageways leading to the bank of turbolifts and to The Citadel's huge lobby. Nox stopped in his tracks and, looking about, finally noticed that Khem Val stood quietly to one side and slightly behind him. Khem Val had joined him sometime after Nox had left his offices, and Nox hadn't even noticed.

Khem Val, looking intently at Darth Nox, chided him saying, "My master, your mind is scattered. You are full of openings. When will you come out of your dream walking?"

Nox said nothing. He knew Khem was absolutely correct. Nox merely shook his head in self reproach.

He exited the building as a speeder pulled right up to the main entrance in flagrant violation of traffic and parking regulations. 2V-R8 was piloting it. Khem Val approached the stopped speeder as the door lifted up like a wing, exposing the oversized posh interior.

He scanned the speeder with his eyes and with a specialized gadget, as he asked the droid, "Did you find any anomalies?"

2V-R8 replied immediately, "No, Master Khem. All systems are well within nominal specifications, and I discovered no extraneous devices anywhere on the vehicle."

Khem Val turned to face his master and nodded the all clear. Nox approached his custom built speeder, designed with the Dashade's proportions in mind, and entered with Khem Val immediately behind him.

Darth Nox ordered the droid, "Take me to my personal speeder port on Dromund Tower."

Khem Val turned his head to look at his master, seated beside him.

He asked himself ruefully, "_Is the great Darth Nox yet lost in his dreams?_"

Khem Val became filled with a dreadful sense of foreboding, as he began to wonder if his master's reign was coming to a close.

* * *

It was a short commute to the residential district and to Dromund Tower. The speeder pad was covered in soot. The tracks of fire suppression droids on the soot covered speeder pad and the outdoor patio deck showed the frenzied activity of the droids as they fought to extinguish the conflagration that had spread down ten stories to the other private residences below Nox's two story penthouse palace.

Nox walked as though at a funeral procession across the speeder pad, then across the patio deck. He looked over the exterior of his penthouse palace, and saw that the huge main window had been shattered.

Thousands of soot covered shards of broken ten centimeter thick permaglass littered the patio deck. Many of the shards were as small as his fist, but many other shards were as big as Khem Val's huge frame. It was a testament to the power of the bomb blasts that had ruined his domicile, and that of his neighbors' below his.

Nox climbed a small set of stairs, entering his estate from the patio deck. Inside, he was near the top of the grand stair case, which led down to the lower level of his two story penthouse. None of his ruined priceless treasures in the lower level attracted his interest. His treasures were not why he had come to his ruined palace. Instead, he climbed to the top landing of the grand staircase and entered the grand hall, with Khem Val following his master.

Dried fire suppression foam, blackened and grayed with the smoke of combustion, coated the walls, the floor, and the ceiling of the grand hall. At the top of Dromund Tower's 240 stories, towards the back of the grand hall, the light of the afternoon sky filtered down through the blast holes in the roof and the ceiling, and into the blackened interior of his palace.

The residence, where his family once lived and played together, was beyond the back wall of the grand hall. The back wall was just past the gaping jagged holes in the ceiling and the roof, where the bombs had penetrated and exploded.

The light of the late afternoon sky, pouring through the gaping holes above him and from the shattered grand window behind him, at the front of the grand hall, revealed the effects of the tremendous forces of the bomb blasts on the back wall and the door way leading to his family's home.

The wall was buckled, torn and twisted, and the metal plate flooring, on which he stood, was warped. The floor was buckled and made popping and groaning sounds under the weight of Nox's and Khem Val's foot falls.

Nox developed a painful lump in his throat, and his eyes watered.

Without turning to face him, Nox spoke huskily to his servant, "Khem, please wait for me at the speeder. I'll be alright on my own."

Khem Val said nothing as he turned to walked back to the private speeder pad. The hulking Dashade felt that he had heard the final words of a mighty Dark Lord of The Sith, just before his disgraceful fall from glory, and it gave him a pang of terrible regret.

Khem Val began to debate, within himself, "_My master has lost his spirit. It would bring his memory great shame if his enemy slays him in his moment of weakness. Then, if I rob his enemy of the chance, and slay him myself, and then bury him in a great tomb, shall his honor be preserved?_"

This was a serious matter to Khem Val. He deeply respected his master and didn't want him to face such a disgraceful end at the hands of his enemy.

He thought to himself, "_If I slay him, it should be here, where his glory was turned into ash by his foe. I will make his death mercifully quick, and shall steal his body away to Korriban. There, I shall bury him._"

Nox looked ahead at the shattered and twisted ruin of the doorway and the wall that separated his family residence from the grand hall and the rest of the ruined stronghold. He carefully made his way to the place his children last lived.

There was so much debris strewn everywhere. The stench of a burnt home was strong and began to permeate his clothing, his armor, and his skin. Charred trees in shattered planters, shattered soot and foam covered marble table tops and pieces of broken and charred furniture lay everywhere he stepped.

Carefully stepping through the threshold of that ruined doorway, he entered the common room of his family's home. It was almost pitch black inside. The ceiling and roof were intact in this part of the structure. Not much light entered through the rips and tears in the wall nor through the ruined doorway.

Nox took out a portable light probe from his utility belt and set it loose. It levitated and activated its lamps, dimly illuminating the interior with a weak white light. The light probe took up a position above Nox's head and illuminated a bright spot around the area where he stood, and blasted a brilliant white spot of light ahead, wherever Nox turned his head to look.

Nox surveyed the common family room. The blast damage was less evident in here than in the grand hall, because the wall mostly withstood the initial explosions. However, everything was still a charred ruin covered in smoke stained fire suppression foam.

Nox looked at the doorway leading to his children's room. With the light probe lighting his steps and the way ahead, he carefully navigated the debris littered common room as he made his way there.

The door of his children's room had already been wrenched open by the fire suppression droids, when they broke through to gain access to the room to put out the flames inside. Nox had stopped just outside of it to steel himself before entering. He took a breath and then released it as he took his first step through the door.

Nox's eyes were immediately drawn to three dim lights in the far left corner of the room. Two of the lights were red. Those were situated immediately next to, and on either side of the one blue light. The red lights indicated where his children were found, huddled together on either side of the nanny droid that had stayed with his children until the end.

Nox's face became contorted as tears burst from his eyes and he let out a low anguished moaning cry. He closed his eyes and tilted his head down as he stood weeping and sobbing.

He thought to himself in anguish, _"They didn't die instantly. They suffered, first."_

Nox fought hard against the temptation of using this moment to draw on the power of the Dark Side of the Force, as he had done before. He had decided the torment to his psyche was far too great a price for such power, and he didn't want to cheapen the memory of his children.

On the commute to his ruined home, Nox had been contemplating this moment. He had decided that he wanted to gain power, but not at the price of losing his sanity. He had resolved to find another way.

After a time, Nox opened his eyes again and began to survey the room to see if there was anything he could salvage. He walked to a ruined table on one side of the room.

There were several small objects scattered near the charred remains of the table. He recognized one of the objects as a small holo-projector. Picking it up, he began to do his best to wipe the soot and dried foam from it.

Free of most of the contaminants blocking its projection lens, a holo image of Ashara hugging her children to her sprang into being above the projector, reminding him of a fragment of his dream. Nox deactivated it, and stored it in his utility belt. At that moment, he had decided that it was the most prized of all of his treasures.

Next he took out his portable holo-transmitter and dialed a frequency. A small holo-image of Zash appeared just above his hand, which held the personal transmitter.

She answered, "Yes, Dark Lord? What is your will?"

Nox, his voice cold and edged with fury, ordered her, "I want you to go on a killing spree. Kill every Sith you find belonging to Acina's powerbase. Do it until I tell you to stop, or until you run out of targets. Take with you whomever you will to get the job done."

Zash immediately replied, "I want Khem Val."

Nox told her, just as coldly, "I'll send him to you. But, you had better not kill Khem. I don't care if you kill Acina herself. If you harm Khem, I will end your existence. Do you understand me?"

Zash's image clearly displayed her displeasure with the tone Nox had used with her, but she replied properly, "As you say, Dark Lord."

He cut the transmission and secured his holo-transmitter, turning to leave his children's room. Nox's heart leapt and beat at a furious pace. He was robbed of his breath.

The shock was so great that he sank to his knees. Nox reached his hands out, pleadingly, as tears gushed out of his eyes in torrents.

He barely had the breath to whisper, "Ashara."

Ashara's Force ghost stood before Nox. Her countenance was serene.

She smiled at him and said, "Kallig, I'm so happy you didn't come here to draw power from the Dark Side. Now I can go to become One with The Force, knowing you truly loved our children."

Nox, worked to calm his racing heart and rein in his chaotic mind.

He recovered enough to plead, "I'm so sorry, Ashara. I'm sorry for what I did. Forgive me."

Ashara surprised him with what she said next, "What is there to forgive? You live the life of a Dark Lord of The Sith, and I loved a Dark Lord of The Sith. It was inevitable that our passions would lead us to this.

"Watching you mourn our children without drawing power from the Dark Side was all I needed to go peacefully to be One with The Force. There is nothing for me to forgive. You have given me peace."

Nox's face was awash in tears, as he asked, "What can I do to atone for all of this?" Nox indicated the destruction around him as he continued, "Without thinking, I got into a feud with another Dark Lord, and our children paid with their lives. They suffered greatly! It is my fault. What would you have me do?"

Ashara shook her head, and said, "Our children did not suffer. I was with them and kept them at peace, until the end."

Nox looked at the blue light between the two red ones and realized that Ashara must have taken control of the nanny droid to comfort her children. He surmised that Ashara had probably used Force Persuasion to ease her children's minds and bodies, as they died.

Nox returned his attention to Ashara's Force ghost, as she admonished him.

"You are a Dark Lord of The Sith. Why do you ask of me what you should do? Do what a Dark Lord of The Sith would do."

At that instant, Nox realized that he could gain tremendous power from Ashara's Force ghost, if he could subdue it.

Nox, hardening his voice, told to Ashara, "I need more power. I need to defeat Acina. She is far stronger than I gave her credit for, even if she is supremely stupid."

Ashara told Nox, as serenity left her countenance and her smile began to fade, "You are a Dark Lord of The Sith. It is your prerogative, what to do with your vassals, servants, and slaves."

Nox's heart beat hard in his chest as he contemplated what he was about to ask her, but before he asked, Ashara went on, revealing a secret she had kept from him throughout their short married lives together.

"I never told you, Kallig, but I foresaw all of this. I foresaw my death at your hands. I foresaw the deaths of our children. I foresaw the moment you would ask me to allow you to use the force ghost binding ritual. My visions did not proceed beyond that point. I do not know what my final fate shall be."

She fell silent and awaited the fate her widowed husband was about to subject her to. She knew full well Nox would bind her Force ghost to his will, and resigned herself to this fate. He had bound four Force ghosts in this manner, and had gained tremendous raw power as a result. Ashara's Force Ghost knelt before her husband and lord, and began to meditate, to bring peace to her mind, as she waited for Nox's ritual to begin.

Nox's voice came back to him. As he rose to his feet, he spoke with the cold, hard voice of a Dark Lord, as he reminded Ashara, "You said I should do what a Dark Lord of The Sith would do."

Ashara nodded affirmation as her diminishing smile finally faded away, leaving a hint of sorrow in its place.

Nox told her with coldness and determination in his tone, "A Dark Lord of The Sith would take your power to add it to his own!"

Darth Nox lifted his hands towards the Force ghost. He hesitated. Then after a moment, Nox shook his head in the negative, as he lowered his hands.

He spoke softly, telling her, "But, I was your husband, and you were the mother of my children. I cannot go through with it. Go, my dear Ashara, be One with the Force. Be One with our children. I will find power elsewhere."

Ashara immediately began to fade away as she told him, "My resolve to stay on _this side_ is waning quickly, my love. You are much stronger than you believe yourself to be. You will find a way. You will prevail. I love you."

Ashara was gone.

Nox knew, without any doubt, that her consciousness, her existence, had ended. She had melded with The Force and was gone forever. Or, as it is said amongst Force users, Ashara _had become_ '_One with The Force._'

For the first time since that terrible day on his ship, Nox felt the terrible burden of guilt fall from his shoulders. He had resisted taking power from the Dark Side at the expense of his family, and Ashara had given him absolution. Ashara's forgiveness allowed him to forgive himself as well.

However, he had not forgotten her words.

"_Do as a Dark Lord of The Sith would do_."

Nox walked through the ruined door, exiting his children's room. He navigated the charred debris of the common room of his family's domicile, and finally passed through the ruined door into the grand hall. As he stepped passed the scattered charred ruins of the potted trees and furnishings of the grand hall, it suddenly hit him. He froze in his tracks, and paused to think.

Nox finally understood why it was that he'd exercised restraint, and yielded to pragmatism, when he'd spared the lives of Komo and Vulgren, for example. Nox finally understood why he'd held back from simply killing '_the man,_' who tried so hard to provoke him at Imperial Settlement Number Two, and instead engaged him in a '_choreographed dialog._'

Nox finally understood why he'd yielded time and again to pragmatism, rather than to his fury. It was all Ashara's influence on him.

From the beginning, she had found ways to carry out his will without always having to rely on his utter ruthlessness. She had counseled him, debated with him, and otherwise informed his decisions with pragmatism, and practicality. What Nox had realized was that, in the end, Ashara had succeeded in influencing him, and that she had changed him.

Nox bowed his head, and as a wry grin broke across his face, he shook his head in pure admiration, as he said to Ashara's memory, "My love, you've won our battle of ideals."

He laughed a little at himself, when he realized, Ashara had changed him, subtly, with her Jedi teachings.

He told her memory, "Your '_blasphemous Jedi teachings_' have reached me."

He laughed long and hard at his own admission, even as fresh tears gushed from his eyes and washed down his cheeks.

After a time had passed, and he had finally composed himself, Nox finally walked to the frame of the shattered grand window of his ruined grand hall and looked down at the soot covered patio deck and the speeder pad beyond that.

Nox's eyes burned with passion as he swore in a low voice, "Acina. You sought to break my spirit, my resolve, but you have failed miserably. I will hunt you down. I will make you into _such an example_ of my fury and _my power!_"

Skipping the stairs, he jumped down five meters, from the window sill, onto the patio. Darth Nox strode, _with a will_, to his waiting speeder.

* * *

Khem Val had been leaning against the hood of the speeder, when he finally saw Nox emerge from the charred ruins of his estate. He watched his master carefully, as Nox stopped and stood at the sill of the shattered grand window of his palace. Khem Val watched as his master leapt down onto the patio deck.

He kept his eyes on his master, as Nox walked towards him. Khem Val, slowly nodded his huge head in approval of what he saw. He could see that steel had returned to his master's eyes.

Khem Val concluded, "_Then I will not need to slay my master. He has ended his endless dreaming! Fire has returned to his eyes! His enemy shall not prevail!_"

Darth Nox stopped before Khem Val, and without preamble, gave him his orders, "You will join Zash. The two of you will work together to kill the Sith in Acina's powerbase."

Khem Val, leaning against the hood of the speeder with his arms folded across his chest, remained silent for a moment as he studied his master's face. He could see that tears had flowed freely from Nox's eyes, but that they had dried.

He told himself, "_Those eyes shall never weep again._"

Khem Val then declared triumphantly to Nox, "My master has returned from his dreaming! You have returned, ready to make war on your enemies, and to give them to my mistress, _Death!_" Then he added, hoping it was true, "And my master has given me a chance to avenge the insult visited on me by that witch!"

Nox burst his bubble, as he firmly ordered Khem Val, "Khem, do not provoke her, but if she makes a move against you, then you have my permission to break her. However, _do not_ kill her. I still need her power."

Darth Nox didn't even give Khem Val a chance to celebrate his new orders, as he, again, cautioned Khem Val, "_Do not_ \- provoke her."

He didn't believe Khem Val was strong enough to prevail against Zash. Yet, Nox did not wish to hurt Khem Val's pride, so he would not tell the Dashade outright, what he thought.

Although Khem Val was pleased to see that Nox had '_awoken from his dreaming,_' The behemoth Dashade replied glumly, "As my master wishes. I shall obey."

Nox had entered his luxury speeder, with Khem Val following him in. 2V-R8 pushed a button which closed the gull wing door, and then started the speeder. The droid piloted the speeder away from the ruined penthouse.

As it accelerated away from the gutted upper levels of the residential tower, the ship droid scheduled time to clean the soot from the interior fabric upholstery and to shampoo the carpet. 2V-R8 also remotely booked an appointment to take the luxury custom speeder to a paint and body shop, to fix the scratches left on the paint, and to repair the dings put on the hood, when Khem Val in his body armor, leaned all over the hood.

The droid asked, "Where do you wish to go, Master?"

Nox simply ordered, "Back to The Citadel. I have work to do."


	40. The Pieces Come Together

The Pieces Come Together

Three days after his conference with Darth Nox, Moff Valion Pyron arrived to Dromund Kaas in a Fury Class Interceptor that had been modified for use as a transport for VIP's. His Fury Interceptor came with a small task force of three Gage Class transport ships and two Terminus Class destroyers. Moff Pyron issued his final orders to the Admiral commanding the destroyers and transport ships before ordering his own pilot to land his personal transport.

While the larger ships remained in orbit over Dromund Kaas, his Fury Class Interceptor touched down at the Kaas City Spaceport. Imperial soldiers double-timed it down the ramp of Pyron's ship and formed a protective perimeter around the ship's landing pad. A moment later, Moff Pyron descended the ramp with his entourage of military officers and additional Imperial soldiers who provided him with personal security.

He was met, at the bottom of the Ramp, by two Imperial Army officers who saluted him crisply, before joining the tail end of his entourage. The moff and his staff made their way towards a train of speeders that were waiting for them while the soldiers remained at the spaceport to guard the ship and the landing pad.

Unlike the gigantic Dromund Kaas Spaceport, a few hundred kilometers away from Kaas City, Kaas City Spaceport was a very small spaceport located in Kaas City proper. It was reserved for the exclusive use of the very top Imperial military commanders, and for the use of the Dark Councilors and their immediate subordinates. Moff Pyron commanded one of the largest fleets in the Imperial Navy, and as such rated the use of Kaas City Spaceport.

Moff Pyron and his command staff boarded the train of speeders, which had been waiting for them, for the short trip to The Citadel. Once there, Pyron was to meet with Grand Moff Regis in order to give a report on military operations, with Darth Marr leading all operations. In essence, this was a review of Darth Marr's performance, and a review of the Empire's lagging war efforts against the Republic.

According to Moff Pyron's itinerary, after his meeting with the Grand Moff, Pyron planned to pay his respects to his benefactor and lord, Darth Nox. Valion Pyron hoped that by the time he met with Nox, that he'd have good news to give to him.

During the short trip to The Citadel, Pyron made several calls asking for temporarily elevated security clearances for several of his staff officers, including the two that had met him at the ramp of his ship. The staff officers would need these clearances in order to enter several sensitive areas within the Imperial Military's section of The Citadel. There, they would access data that he needed to plan for several military operations scattered on several planets and moons throughout his theater of operations.

Pyron's subordinates, who'd met him at his ship, Colonel Riktich Kepper and Major Lorna Wetcher, were to report to the Personnel Deployment Section. The personnel deployment section kept records listing the names of every Imperial officer and enlisted individual serving in the Imperial Army and the Imperial Navy stationed in every outpost, every ship, and every deployment throughout the galaxy. Colonel Kepper and Major Wetcher rode in the second to last speeder in the convoy.

They kept silent for the short trip and waited for their security clearances to be issued. Just as the train of speeders arrived to the speeder port in front of The Citadel, Colonel Kepper received final instructions from the Moff.

"Colonel Kepper, your clearances have just arrived. Try to get me as many replacements as possible, and be sure they're of the best quality. I don't want to have any inferior officers dumped into my command. Be quick, you only have half an hour."

Colonel Kepper replied, "We'll get the job done, Moff Pyron."

Pyron replied, "That's what I want to _hear_, but I'd rather _see_ results."

With that, Pyron cut the communications link. Colonel Kepper downloaded the clearances and gave the appropriate one to his assistant, Major Wetcher.

He told her, "You heard the Moff. We've not a lot of time, so let's be swift."

Major Wetcher replied, "Yes sir."

Upon arriving to the Imperial Military Personnel Section and securing an office with two computer terminals, Wetcher uploaded a program that searched for officers with excellent service records requesting reassignment. The program then issued requests for two thousand two hundred seventy nine officers to be reassigned to Moff Pyron's 217th Expeditionary Army Group, and one thousand six hundred and twenty seven officers to be reassigned to the Moff's 312th Imperial Navy Group.

The program also requested several thousand enlisted personnel, to replace losses and to fill out the ranks of the Moff's Expeditionary Army and Imperial Navy Groups. Finally, a request for one hundred sixty two fighter pilots was put in, to replace losses incurred throughout Pyron's sixteen fighter wings.

Meanwhile, Wetcher ran a real time slicing operation to cover Kepper's tracks as he began searching the database for the names of five specific officers. These officers were key to his mission's success or failure. Colonel Kepper found their service records. Of the five officers, three of them continued to be of primary interest to him.

The Imperial military, being what it was, kept excellent up to date records of all of its personnel. As expected, Kepper, _or Keeper_, was able to find the Arcanum's location from their service records. Rather than downloading the data, he typed it into his personal datapad and double checked to be sure he had accurately copied the coordinates.

Wetcher, _or Watcher Two_, noted that Keeper had closed the database and shut down the terminal he was using. She made sure all records of his activities were deleted from the database security logs. She then checked to see that Moff Pyron got the officers and enlisted personnel that he actually needed.

The personnel reassignment system had cut orders for all of the officers her program had asked for. It had also cut orders for a mix of veteran enlisted soldiers and soldiers newly graduated from the Imperial Army's and Navy's boot camps. A mix of newly graduated and veteran fighter pilots had also been given new orders for assignment to fighter squadrons belonging to fighter wings attached to the Moff's navy group.

Keeper and Watcher Two were done in fifteen minutes. The two walked briskly through the labyrinth of offices and corridors to a bank of turbolifts. They then took a lift from the two hundred thirty first story, down five hundred thirty one stories, to the three hundredth sub-level.

Again, they navigated a labyrinth of corridors and offices, taking the established detour to avoid the construction crews on their way to the reception lobby of Nox's office. There, they waited for Moff Pyron's arrival for his meeting with Darth Nox.

* * *

Nox sat at his desk, reading reports and making notations where he had questions about what he'd read. The dark lord wanted clarification about certain aspects of what he'd been reading. He sensed an attempt to obfuscate certain details, and it rankled him. This was the third report in a row that he would ultimately reject as unclear and incomplete.

Nox's desk top holo-terminal chimed.

2V-R8, at his alcove at the side of Darth Nox office, announced, "Master, Moff Pyron is here to see you. Shall I let him in?"

Nox saved his work and blanked the screen of his computer.

Then he ordered 2V-R8, "Send him in."

The door slid open, and in marched Moff Pyron. Nox's desk was over a hundred meters from the door he'd entered. The moff marched halfway to Nox's desk and came to a halt. Then bending to one knee, he planted his right fist onto the rug.

Bowing his head, Pyron proclaimed, "It is a singular honor my dark lord accords me by allowing me into his most august presence! I thank you for your benevolence!"

Darth Nox was actually glad to see the moff. He said, "Rise, Moff Pyron."

Pyron rose to his feet and stood at parade rest, his feet shoulder width apart, his hands clasped behind his back, and with his back rigidly straight.

Nox ordered flatly, "Report."

Pyron launched straight into his report without preamble.

"Dark Lord, I have just come from reporting to Grand Moff Regis. Upon completion of my report to him, he saw fit to permanently assign eight additional Harrower Class dreadnoughts, twenty four additional Terminous Class destroyers, and their attending support ships to my fleet! Additionally, the Grand Moff assigned the 765th Imperial Army Group to my forces, along with the 27 Gage Class transport ships of the 532nd Imperial Navy Transport Group which transports this army group and their equipment and supplies. I now command two Army Groups!"

Darth Nox congratulated Moff Pyron on his achievement, and nodded satisfaction, thinking to himself, "_My military power grows!_"

After thanking the dark lord for his congratulations, Valion Pyron continued his report.

"We have taken losses on several worlds. As such, Darth Marr has withdrawn his forces and has taken them into hiding in order to reorganize the Empire's war effort."

Nox sat straighter in his chair and asked, with concern edging his tone, "Are we losing the war?"

Pyron answered confidently, "We have been hurt, but we are not out. With reorganization and a new strategy, we will come back with a very powerful counter offensive that will rock the Republic back on its heels. I also sense that Darth Marr has something else going on, but he has not shared it with me nor with any of the other moffs under his command."

Nox, not liking the sound of that, told Pyron, "I'll ask him about it."

Nox began to worry that Marr might be planning a coup. It had happened already, once before, with Darth Malgus' attempted coup a few years back.

He asked Pyron, "Do you think he intends to follow Malgus' old path?"

Pyron, nodded his head, ever so slightly, as he thought, "_Good. Nox's instincts are sharp!_"

Aloud, he told the dark lord, "I have not seen _evidence that would lead me to think that_, Dark Lord. However, it may be a possibility that should not be ruled out completely."

Nox didn't even stop to think, as he ordered, "Keep both your eyes wide open, and your ears listening to everything around you. The instant you think you have '_evidence that would lead you to think that,_' report it to me."

Pyron, snapping to attention, stomped his boot on the rug, and replied crisply, "Yes, Dark Lord!"

Then returning to parade rest, he continued to report, saying, "I have something here that you will find most illuminating, Dark Lord."

He produced a datapad from his utility belt. Nox motioned with his hand towards 2V-R8, and then waved it towards the moff. 2V-R8 silently approached Moff Pyron.

The droid took the datapad from him. By the time the droid had walked around to the back of Nox's desk to set the datapad onto the desk next to him, it had already thoroughly scanned it for traps and explosives. The droid then returned to it's alcove at the side of Nox's office.

Nox accessed the contents of the datapad, but all he saw was a series of numbers.

He looked up and asked, "Is this some kind of code? It's just numbers."

Moff Pyron's skeletal features became more skeletal, as he exposed his teeth in his version of a smile.

Pyron reported, "Those are the coordinates of the Arcanum's present location, Dark Lord."

Nox looked up from the datapad.

A predator's grin began spreading across his face as he asked, "So quickly? How?"

Pyron replied, admiration in his tone, "Dark Lord, you were wise to quickly snatch up Keeper and Watcher Two when you did. It was Keeper's operation. My presence here was mostly unnecessary and served only as a smoke screen to cover their presence in the military's sensitive areas, which then allowed them to search." Pyron added with awe in his tone, "Would you believe it only took them _fifteen minutes?!_"

Pyron's personal holo-transmitter hummed and vibrated in its holder on his utility belt.

He said to Darth Nox, "Dark Lord, I am terribly sorry, but a call is coming in on my transmitter. I believe it is very important. Will you allow me to take the call?"

Nox's smile vanished as he replied, "You need to take the call, now? It can't wait until I have finished with you?"

Moff Pyron felt Nox's malevolent aura begin pushing against his existence.

He quickly answered, "Dark Lord, I believe it is related to _your_ interests. I have been waiting for developments in order to report to you. If you would rather wait until later, then I can ignore the call."

His mood dampened by Pyron's ill timed call, Nox shook his head, saying, "Fine! Take the call, but be quick!"

Pyron thought to himself as he answered the call, "_This had better be very good news, or very, very bad news._"

The image of a female Imperial Navy officer appeared before Pyron.

He snapped, "Report!"

The female officer reported, "Moff Pyron, the _Carnage_ has arrived, and the troop ships are now maneuvering to join the 3027th Naval Task Force. That is all, Sir."

Pyron cut the communications, thinking to himself, "_That could have waited._" Aloud, he said, "Dark Lord, The..."

Nox cut him off irritably, "I heard! There's no need to repeat what I've already heard." Nox thought to himself, "_That could have waited._"

2V-R8 spoke into the pause in dialogue between Nox and Pyron.

"Master, a message from the dreadnought, _Carnage_. Shall I relay it to you?"

Nox said, "Yes."

2V-R8 relayed the message, saying, "Lord Kirnon has left the Carnage on a shuttle, and is en route to your office. Lord Kirnon has decided on a name."

Nox's mood suddenly improved on hearing of Kirnon's arrival.

He turned his head to face Moff Pyron and said, "Stay awhile. I shall confer the title, '_Darth,_' onto Lord Kirnon."

Pyron recognized the high honor Nox had just payed him, and replied, "Dark Lord, you honor me greatly! It will be my privilege to observe!"

* * *

Lord Kirnon was on top of the world. He strode with such pride through the halls of the Office of The Sphere of Ancient Knowledge. He had commissioned a new suit of armor for this occasion.

His three apprentices had also gotten themselves new armor in celebration of their master's rise in power. The three were still flush with the rush of victory over Darth Achelon and his powerbase. Their reverence for their master, who was leading them to greatness, had reached new heights, and would only increase after Kirnon had been conferred his new title.

When Lord Kirnon arrived to Darth Nox's outer offices, he saw Moff Pyron sitting in a corner conducting a meeting with his command staff via his portable holo-transmitter. There were six Imperial soldiers, standing at attention, in the reception office as well. These were the moff's security detail.

One of the soldiers announced, "A Sith lord enters! Salute!"

The six soldiers saluted. Kirnon, Lord of The Sith, lifted his hand to acknowledge their salute.

When he let his had drop to his side again, the soldier ordered, "End salute!"

The soldiers ended their salute, remaining at attention.

Pyron stood to greet him, "Lord Kirnon, I presume?"

Kirnon nodded affirmation.

Pyron introduced himself, though Kirnon already knew who he was. Kirnon's _Task Force 3027_ belonged to Pyron's fleet. Pyron was Kirnon's superior officer.

Moff Pyron said, in a most polite tone, "I am Moff Valion Pyron. It is my privilege to be invited by Darth Nox to observe your ascension _in the Sith hierarchy_." Moff Pyron then informed Lord Kirnon, "Darth Nox is in conference with one of his apprentices. We are to wait until the dark lord has concluded his business with her."

Kirnon merely nodded his acknowledgement and then found a place to sit. His apprentices took up stations around Kirnon as though on guard. Pyron resumed his seat, returning to his business with his command staff.

* * *

Nox listened as Zash detailed her progress.

"I found and killed twelve of Acina's followers, four Darths and their apprentices. Two of the Darths were her own apprentices. I found them at several of their research facilities scattered throughout the planet, Darths Tignan, Vizdan, Ulresh, and Taint."

Nox, nodding his satisfaction, asked, "How well did you and Khem Val work together?"

Zash became silent for a moment as her features darkened with annoyance. Nox did not like her silence, but he waited for her to speak.

Zash told Nox, "Khem Val is quite strong, Dark Lord. I don't know if you were trying to trick me into believing that he was weak, what with all of your warnings to me not to harm him. I gave in to temptation, and tried to orchestrate his death at the hands of Acina's servants."

Nox was deeply surprised to hear that admission of disobedience from her, but he was even more surprised about what she had to say about Khem Val's power. He kept his pazaak face on, however, and remained silent as Zash continued speaking.

"I knew Dashades were resistant to attacks using The Force, but this was ridiculous! It was like nothing they threw at him fazed him in the least!"

To cover his own shock, Nox said, "Khem's power grows with my own. He tries to keep up with me."

Zash became silent, as she considered the ramifications of Nox's words.

She thought to herself, "_Nox can still overcome Khem Val? Is he really that strong?_" Then she considered, "_If Khem Val thought Nox was weak, he would have killed and eaten him long ago..._"

Nox was deeply shocked at how badly he'd underestimated Khem Val, but he didn't want Zash to know this. Instead, he added to Khem's mystique.

"So, he restrained himself? He didn't try to eat you, did he?"

Zash, showing her deep displeasure, thought to herself, "_He said he needs me to fool the Dark Council, yet he risked getting me eaten by his pet monster!_" Aloud, she said facetiously, "He was the perfect model of a house-broken Dashade."

Nox nodded as though satisfied with the news that Khem resisted the temptation of eating her.

He could hear Khem's voice in the background as Zash laughed at her own joke.

"_Do not push your luck, witch!_"

Nox, satisfied with Zash's kill count, ordered her, "Return to me, here. I have what I need to move, and I will move very soon."

Zash bowed her head as she acknowledged her new orders.

"As you say Dark Lord. We shall be in your presence before the day is done."

He cut the connection and leaned back in his chair to think. Nox realized that he had to reassess Khem's potential to betray and overcome him.

He thought to himself, "_Khem, why are you hiding your strength from me? Are you planning something?_"

* * *

2V-R8 brought Nox to the hear and now with his announcement.

"Master, Lord Kirnon has arrived and is waiting in the reception lobby. He has given the name he wishes to be known by. Do you wish to hear it, and shall I ask him to enter?"

As Nox stood from behind his desk, he said, "Tell me the name."

2V-R8 told Nox the name Kirnon chose for himself.

As Nox made his way around to the front of his desk, he instructed his droid, "Ask Lord Kirnon and Moff Pyron to enter."

2V-R8 walked to the door and opened it, then said, "Darth Nox will receive you now, please enter."

Lord Kirnon entered and marched half way into Nox's expansive office and stopped. He knelt before Nox on his right knee, with his right fist planted on the rug, and his head bowed. Moff Pyron entered behind Kirnon, and stepped to one side of the office, standing nearby to where 2V-R8 waited for instructions, in his alcove. Kirnon's apprentices stopped about twenty meters behind their master and also knelt before Nox.

Kirnon, Lord of The Sith reported, "My dark lord, I appear before you as summoned!"

Nox proclaimed, "Lord Kirnon, I have watched you amass your powerbase, and I have seen your power grow. I have watched you prevail over my enemies, and I have enjoyed dominion over my foes because of your power. I sent you to slay a traitor, a Darth, _Achelon_, and you have triumphed over him. In this way, you have proven your power to me.

"You eviscerated his powerbase when you hunted down and killed his apprentices and his powerful minions. They scattered throughout the galaxy, all who had dared to follow the traitor in defiance against me! Yet, you hunted them all down, and slew them all! In this way, you have shown me the reach of your might.

"As you have eviscerated my enemies, so then receive the title, _Darth Eviscerous!_"

Kirnon triumphantly declared, "I cast aside my old name, and my old life! I am now Darth Eviscerous! I shall rule with fear in one hand and with destruction in the other! I shall spread dread and woe to all of your enemies.

"All shall know that I serve Darth Nox, Dark Lord of The Sith! All shall see the fury of my might, and shall quake in their boots at the mention of your name, for your power is greater still than my own.

"Now, command me, Dark Lord! Point me at your enemy! Let me kill Acina!"

Darth Nox commanded, "Rise, Darth Eviscerous!"

Nox smiled in genuine appreciation of Eviscerous' zeal. He applauded to show his appreciation of Eviscerous' accomplishment in earning his new title, and so did Moff Pyron.

Nox, very pleased with his attitude, granted Eviscerous a portion of what he'd craved, telling him, "Very well. I shall point you at Acina's power, but she is _mine_ to kill."

Nox turned to 2V-R8 and ordered, "Bring up the Arcanum's layout."

The droid replied, "At once, Master."

While 2V-R8 went about his task, Moff Pyron marveled, "How did you get your hands on the Arcanum's schematics, Dark Lord? Even _I_ have failed to secure those plans when you gave me my orders to seek out its location."

Nox shook his head disgustedly, as he replied, "Acina, the fool that she is, hired mercenaries to hunt down an artifact that was stolen from the Arcanum. When the mercenaries returned with the recovered relic to claim their due, one of them sliced into her systems and stole many secrets. The mercenary is a Chiss that I regularly employ. She offered the plans and many other secrets to me, _for a price_ \- which I paid. I never dreamed I'd ever use this information, but here we are."

2V-R8 activated the holo-projector after setting it up. It projected the image of the Arcanum. Nox had already programmed the projector to show images of Imperial warships maneuvering in the attack on the space station.

Nox laid out his plan, "The Carnage shall provide naval gun fire onto the Arcanum, to deplete it's shields and to destroy its blaster cannon batteries. The Terminous Class destroyers shall augment the Carnage's firepower as needed, but will primarily focus on providing security for the Carnage and the Gage Class transports."

Pyron listened carefully to the plan, as did Eviscerous. Both stood ready to challenge any part of the plan they felt was not feasible.

Nox continued laying out his plan, saying, "Your three divisions of Shock Troops shall enter from multiple entry points around the stations' outer docking ring. The Arcanum's vaults will be shut and locked. There is no need to breach the vaults.

In fact, it is not desired. Do not breach any of the vaults. Your troops shall seize control of all of the passage ways, common areas, troop berthing areas, command and control sections, logistical centers, and so forth, but not the vaults."

Darth Eviscerous spoke, "Dark Lord, may I make an observation?"

Darth Nox granted his permission, "Do so."

Eviscerous cautioned him, "Splitting our forces, so much, is more dangerous for us, than for the enemy. May I recommend that we enter at a single point and let two divisions push in opposite directions, deeper into the station. The enemy's security forces will likely be formidable, and will cut us to pieces if we enter in pieces. I wish to keep the third division as a reserve, to deploy as needed."

Pyron, recognizing the complexities of the logistical requirements of invading a space station, understood that two divisions would get in each other's way, if they used the same entry point.

He said, "I agree, Dark Lord. In fact, I would go a step further and add that each division enter the station, at two entry points, at the docks located at the 180 degree and the 270 degree radials of the station. In this way the divisions may link up and guard one another's rear areas, as they push in opposite directions."

He turned to Eviscerous and pointed out, "Splitting our forces is bad, if they remained split, but divisions are too big to enter the same way. So they should link up to unify their presence, after entering from several locations."

Kirnon, now become Eviscerous, nodded, as he internalized the moff's military strategy lesson.

Darth Nox, recognizing that military strategy was best left to the Moff, delegated the responsibility to his vassal, saying, "Then I'll defer to your expertise in military matters, Moff."

Calling Kirnon by his new name, Nox rewarded him, in the form of an order.

"Darth Eviscerous, since you've shown competence in boarding and raiding large vessels in deep space, I'll allow you to lead the three divisions in this operation. I'll allow the two of you to formulate the plans for this operation."

Moff Pyron nodded acceptance of his new task.

Meanwhile, Kirnon, now Darth Eviscerous, thought to himself, "_This is why you are so powerful! You make full use of your subordinates_' _abilities and are not afraid of being told you are wrong. I will learn from this!_"

Nox continued speaking, "In formulating the battle plans, I want you both to keep my objectives in mind."

Nox listed his objectives.

"One, the complete capture and control of the Arcanum. Two, stay out of the vaults. The things in the vaults all belong to the Emperor. Three, try not to kill any of the researchers. They serve the Emperor directly.

"Four, I shall be aboard searching for Acina. If any of your people find her, tell me where, so that I may face her and kill her. Five, We shall move the Arcanum into orbit over Korriban in time for the Dark Council meeting. That's in four days.

"Finally, six, upon entering orbit over Korriban, all of your forces shall withdraw from the Arcanum. Leave none of your people, none of your droids, nor any of your forces' equipment on board."

Eviscerous asked for clarification.

"Dark Lord, if the enemy flee into the vaults and barricade themselves therein?"

Nox carefully clarified, spelling it out to him, saying, "Let them. Leave them there. Do not pursue them. If they come out to fight, then kill them - _outside of, and well away from, the vaults._"

Pyron reminded Nox, cautioning, "The Hand and The Wrath may have something to say to you about this, Dark Lord."

Nox said pointedly, "I'll deal with that when the time comes. I'll not ask any of you to intervene when they come for me. It will be my trial to face, alone."

Pyron nodded his understanding, but Eviscerous marveled at Nox's daring.

Nox waited for more questions. Nothing else was asked.

He told them, "Get to work, then. I want to be moving before the end of this day." Then he turned to 2V-R8 and ordered the droid, "Escort Darth Eviscerous and Moff Pyron to the conference room down the hall." Turning to face the two men, he told them, "You will work there. Advise me, when you are done."

As Nox turned, to returned to his desk, Pyron and Eviscerous both replied, "Yes, Dark Lord."

Eviscerous instructed one of his apprentices to bring the holo-projector with the Arcanum's schematics with them. Soon, Nox was alone in his office.

* * *

2V-R8 left Pyron and his security detail, and Eviscerous and his apprentices alone in the conference room to return to Nox's office.

Pyron asked Eviscerous for permission to speak candidly, saying, "An observation, if you'll allow me, Darth Eviscerous."

Eviscerous, not wanting to miss a chance at gaining new insights from one of the Sith Empire's most successful military strategists, said, "Speak your mind, Moff."

Moff Pyron, smiled in admiration, and said of Nox, "This is why Darth Nox triumphs over his foes over and again! He isn't afraid of anything! He's not even afraid to admit that he can be wrong about some things. He isn't afraid to let his servants grow stronger and to shine brightly! I feel deeply privileged to serve him."

Eviscerous nodded his agreement and added, "To show such confidence, even to the point of allowing your subordinates to grow powerful is an indication of his own power. No matter how strong we have become, his power may yet be greater than our own."

To himself, he thought of Nox, "_Does he trust me and my apprentices, so much, that he allowed us in his presence without his own security? Or is he so powerful, that he feels he doesn't need security?_"

Eviscerous thought for a bit, and decided it was the latter. His respect for Nox's power increased.

Kirnon had been thinking of Nox's daring and power, but was brought out of his thoughts, as Pyron observed, "It feels good, eh? You've won _your place as a Darth._"

Then he said, "We have much to do, Darth Eviscerous. If you will, let us begin the planning."

With that, the two men got to work on formulating the operational plans to conquer the Arcanum.


	41. Gambler's Luck

Gambler's Luck

2V-R8 returned to Nox's offices and found Andronikos Revel sitting in the reception room.

2V-R8 greeted him, "Hello, Master Andronikos! It is good to see you again! I trust you are in good health?"

Andronikos replied glumly, "I'm in good health, for now anyway. Let's see how long my good health stays that way after I meet with the boss."

2V-R8, trying to be helpful but failing miserably, replied, "Then I'll announce you to the Dark Lord, and I'll hope you will continue to function after you've met with him."

As 2V-R8′s form vanished behind the closing door to Nox's office, Andronikos mumbled gloomily, "Yeah, let's hope..."

Andronikos, alone in the reception lobby, had been pondering his fate.

He thought to himself, "_I ain't got nothing to be afraid of. I got his ship back in a month and a half instead of three months, or four months._"

Yet, he couldn't help but wonder if Nox would have anything to say about the final price tag of his new ship.

2V-R8 opened the door and welcomed Andronikos into Nox's office. Andronikos walked into Nox's office exuding confidence and pride, but inside he felt fear and doubt about what might happen, especially in light of what happened to Nox's kids. He had painted Nox as a monster who didn't care about losing his kids to those union workers, but he knew that although Nox wasn't _that sort_ of monster, Nox was in fact, _still a monster._

Andronikos had learned painfully, some years before, not to get too close to Nox without his permission when in _this_ office.

So, he stopped about half way into Nox's office and said, "Hello, Boss! I got your ship back in record time! And she's a beaut! I can't wait for you to have a look at her."

Nox thought amusingly of Andronikos, "_There isn't another being in the entire galaxy that would speak so flippantly to me._" Then he remembered Khem Val, and thought, "_Oh, that's right. There's Khem._"

Nox waved Andronikos to a chair he had 2V-R8 place in front of his desk and said, "Sit."

Andronikos walked the remaining sixty meters to Nox's desk and sat. Nox began the conversation.

"Two billion credits, Andronikos? Really?"

Andronikos corrected his boss, pointing out that it was, "One billion nine hundred fifty million credits, give or take, Boss."

Nox pointedly replied, "Two billion credits. And the Navy has sent me a memo asking I pay them two and a half billion for _their_ ship. Why are they asking this of me, Andronikos?"

Andronikos' heart beat hard as he took on an air of indignation.

He effected being offended and said to Nox, "They ought to be proud to present you with such a fine gift, Boss! I'll talk to them about it - straighten them out."

Darth Nox looked Andronikos straight in the eyes. He could feel the dread and fear pouring from the pirate, but Andronikos' outer shell displayed nothing but pride and confidence. He didn't even sweat.

Nox thought of Andronikos, "_If it weren't for The Force, I'd never know what you truly felt. You are strong, Pirate!_"

Finally, Nox acquiesced, deciding that he really didn't want to deal with the Navy.

Nox told Andronikos, "Fine. I'll leave the Navy to you then...,"

But Nox wanted to know about the crazy expenses on top of what the Navy claimed they had to pay for a ship they did not receive.

He asked, "What about the other two billion credits? Why did I have to pay two billion, if the Navy already paid for the ship? What's that about?"

Andronikos' years of experience as a reckless pirate allowed him to present a swaggering and cocky facade, that has gotten him out of so many tight spots in his long and violent career. He spoke to the dark lord as though he were selling him a brand new, _second hand_ speeder.

Smiling broadly, Andronikos said, "I had your - _brand new ship_ \- modified and upgraded with the bleeding edge of the technological marvels the Empire could produce, and had it fitted with the _finest_ amenities those with the most exacting tastes would demand. You're really going to like your new ship, Boss. You'll see."

Nox was unmoved.

Then with a more sober expression Andronikos added, "I had to grease a lot of wheels to get the damned union workers to put in the hours and to pick up the pace." He shook his head and grinned admiringly, adding, "Damn! Their union is good!"

Andronikos could see on his face that he was having trouble selling Nox on the expense.

He pointed out, "Hey! It got a four month job done in under two weeks! I really think it was worth it. On top of the delays, I got your ship back in a month and a half, instead of three or four months."

Darth Nox decided not to ask Andronikos how much of his sphere of influence's two billion credits he'd pocketed.

Nox also thought the obvious, "_No matter how you slice it, four and a half billion is too much to spend on a ship. You could buy two ships at that price!_"

In the end, however, Darth Nox was just glad to have a ship again.

He decided to let it all slide and told the pirate, "Go to the conference room down the hall. You'll see two men there, Darth Eviscerous and Moff Pyron."

Andronikos thought to himself, _"That's it? Really?"_

Andronikos waited quietly to hear what Nox wanted him to do with those men.

Nox told him, "They are planning my attack against Acina. Join them, tell them you are piloting the ship that will carry me and my servants into battle. I want an entry point away from the main fighting that will get me in close to where Acina is likeliest to be hiding in that station."

Hiding his great relief that the mess about Nox's ship seemed to be behind him, Andronikos replied, "You got it, Boss."

As Andronikos got up to leave, he, being the pirate that he was, got greedy.

He asked Nox, "You're not just gonna leave me with the ship, eh? I get to go out and kill some nerf turds for you? I get to grab some loot, yeah?"

Nox smiled and said, "I'll let you off the ship to loot and pillage to your heart's content, but stay out of the vaults. Those belong to the Emperor."

Andronikos' eyes bugged open. He blurted, "You're raiding something that belongs to the Emperor?!"

Nox corrected Andronikos, telling him, "Raiding? No. Invading and conquering."

Nox enjoyed watching Andronikos' demeanor become sober.

He added warningly, "As long as we stay out of the vaults, I don't think the Emperor will mind, _too much_. Remember that."

Andronikos realized this was going to be the greatest raid he'd ever took part in, in all of his career as a pirate.

He acknowledged, "Understood, Boss. Stay the hell out of the vaults, everything else is fair game."

After a pause, he asked, "By the way, Boss. Who's Acina?"

Nox's countenance darkened as he replied, "Someone whom I will kill."

Feeling Nox's anger rising, Andronikos decided not to ask anymore questions.

He merely replied, "Right. If you don't mind, I'll get to work now."

Nox nodded and waved Andronikos away.

Andronikos exited Nox's office and marveled at his gambler's luck. As he made his way out of the reception area, he noticed a female Sith sitting quietly, waiting. He quickly forgot about her as he made his way down the corridor.

He mentally kicked himself, thinking, _"Damn! I could have gotten away with pocketing half a billion credits! Why did I stop at only a measly hundred million?!"_

He made a note in his datapad to remind himself to call Lord Calaverous about the Navy giving Nox trouble about their ship.

* * *

2V-R8 approached Nox and reported, "A Sith has come to seek an audience with you, Master. She asked me not to identify her to you. She believes you will send her away without hearing her out. Shall I send her away?"

Nox wondered if it was one of Acina's assassins.

He thought to himself, "_If this one is as brazen as to actually walk into my offices and wait politely outside for me, she might actually be strong._"

Nox considered calling security forces, but he feared she would easily overcome them and somehow stumble into Pyron and Eviscerous and learn of his plans. Nox decided to take her on himself and destroy her in his office.

He told 2V-R8, "Send her in and get out of the way."

Nox hid his shocked surprise when she entered.

Walking hurriedly to the halfway point of his office, she stopped and dropped to her hands and knees. Her forehead touched his one hundred square meter hand-woven rug. The rug, with it's intricate patterns and sharp yellow and black colors, was a prize of war from a noble's home on Alderaan.

He stepped from behind his desk, his anger quickly building.

Darth Nox shouted at her, "You _lived_?! You survived my wrath, and you dared return into _my presence?!_ I'll simply kill you again, Shahn!"

Shahn shouted pleadingly, "Use me, Dark Lord! I am your servant! Use me!"

Nox shouted furiously at her, "You defied me once! You defied me, and then tried to extract Zash into Juuldis' body of your own accord! You could have bungled that, and in the process lost Zash forever!"

Shahn replied in desperation, "There is nothing in the galaxy worth living for; there is nothing worth my efforts, unless it is in your service, Dark Lord!"

Nox reached out his hand and was about to unleash _such a torrent_ of Force Lightning, but at the last possible instant, he held back. Slowly, his hand came back down to his side.

He thought aloud, "_She certainly does not lack for courage. I can't deny that. Or is she utterly stupid?_"

The silence stretched, but Shahn didn't know if she should reply. Instead, she remained silent for a few more heartbeats.

Shahn didn't know what Nox was thinking, but all fear and doubt left her as she took a gamble, declaring, "I will defy you no longer, Dark Lord! I am a skilled archaeologist, finding artifacts of power for your study and use. I am an expert duelist, send me against your foes! I am whatever you wish me to be, Dark Lord! I only wish to remain useful to you.

"There is great power with you, and I have everything to gain if I am allowed to return to you. But if you will cast me aside, then kill me now, Dark Lord!"

Shahn waited to die.

Nox, whispered to himself, "_She survived my wrath..._"

Shahn remained silent. The silence stretched as Nox searched deep within himself. He debated with himself about what to do with such a rebellious and troublesome apprentice. In the end, he yielded to pragmatism.

He observed, "You are strong, Shahn. I cannot deny that fact. I see it now. I _should_ make use of your strength. You also show great fearlessness, returning into my presence in the face of my fury..."

Nox paused to think. The office fell into silence.

After a moment, the dark lord announced, "Because of your fearlessness, I shall elevate you to _Lord of the Sith_. You are now, Shahn, Lord of The Sith! I will make good use of your power! I will use you until you are broken and dead!

"Go to the Offices of The Sphere of Technology and kill any Sith you find there and anyone else that gets in your way. Do this until there are no Sith left to kill, or until you are dead!"

Shahn, tears of triumph gushing from her eyes and her forehead still on the rug, declared, "My life for yours! I serve the Dark Lord of The Sith, Darth Nox, until my death!"

Nox ordered her, "Get out of my sight!"

He turned to return to his desk. Shahn quietly rose to her feet, turned quickly and fled, running from his presence, lest he change his mind.


	42. That New Ship Smell!

That New Ship Smell!

As Nox approached his ship, he could already see the differences between this new ship from his old one.

The freshness of the exterior paint and the polish of the chrome work, the lack of scratches, dings and dents from the impacts of micro-meteoroids in space, and the lack of scorch marks from atmospheric friction and corrosion from weather all told him this ship was indeed brand spanking new and steaming hot off the assembly lines of the Tandankin Shipyards that had built it.

Otherwise, it didn't seem any different from his old ship. However, as he ascended the ramp, even before passing through the airlock, he could see how different the interior was.

Everything about the interior was completely different from what he'd been accustomed to, from the soft padded leather bulkheads with red wood trim, to the highly polished hardwood decks. The overhead was of a material that matched the taupe color of the padded leather bulkheads and had a texture which was eye pleasing.

The hidden lighting was evenly defused throughout the common crew space. Nox couldn't tell where the light fixtures had been installed.

The seats were all of exquisite craftsmanship, upholstered in soft and supple leather. Nox could tell, just from looking, that one could sink into the chairs and probably instantly fall asleep in them. He noticed immediately that the intra-galactic holo-terminal was missing from its place at the center of the common crew space.

He turned around to see a proudly smiling Andronikos. Andronikos was pleased by Nox's reaction to the splendor of his new ship's interior. Nox hadn't realized, but he wore an expression of deep appreciation for what he saw.

However, Nox had observed, "The holo-terminal is missing, Andronikos. How do I hold intra-galactic conferences, in deep space, if I don't have one?"

Andronikos' smile only became brighter as he replied, "The holo-terminal is built under the deck, and the projectors come out from small hidden panels to project the holo-image right in front of you, wherever you're standing in the ship."

Nox, impressed, arched his eyebrows and nodded his head as he returned to inspecting his new ship. Indeed, Nox was deeply pleased.

Nox pointed to the bulkhead, nearest him, and then to the plush furniture in the crew lounge, which was situated near the control bridge entrance.

He asked, "The red wood trim on the walls and the furnishings, is it real _greel wood_?"

Greel wood was naturally ruby red in color and had a very unique grain pattern that was naturally black. All it required was a clear coat of varnish to give it a nice glossy finish. It was extraordinarily difficult to obtain, and very, very expensive.

Andronikos proudly confirmed, "Imported from Pii IV, and the flooring is real vweilu wood with a red stain. The wall panels and the seats are made from real Corelian leather - from real traladon hide. The materials used for the padding, in the wall panels and the cushioning in the seats, are all very high quality resilient synthetic fibers."

Despite his excitement, Nox was determined to remain practical.

He asked, "What if there's a fire? These materials do burn, you know?"

Andronikos, not to be out-done in the practicality department, pointed excitedly at Nox and proclaimed proudly, "Ah ha! Already thought of that, Boss!"

Pointing at the same padded bulkhead, he described its safety features, telling Nox, "Behind each of the wall panels is a two kilogram packet of flame suppressant powder. The instant one of these packets senses an instant rise in temperature exceeding a thousand degrees, it will discharge its flame suppressant powder, in whatever space the fire is detected. There's enough powder in one of the packets to suck all of the oxygen out of the crew space, instantly snuffing out the flames."

He saw concern enter Nox's eyes when he said that about the oxygen, but he quickly went on.

"Once the temperature sensors detect a drop in temperature below four hundred degrees, another system will pump the crew space full of another chemical which will break down the flame suppressant powder and release the oxygen back into the air. It all takes place in less than thirty seconds, so there's no danger of suffocation.

"The air cleaners will scrub the resulting gas out of circulation, as the gas reacts to the cleaners' activated carbon elements in the filters. That takes about ten minutes. Change out the air filters at the next maintenance cycle, and we're golden! Each section of the ship has the same fire suppression system in place."

Nox couldn't help but grin at Andronikos' own excitement. He complimented him, saying, "Good job on building my new ship."

Andronikos, nodding and beaming a proud smile said, "I knew you'd like it, Boss."

Anxious to get moving, Nox asked Andronikos, "Is everyone aboard?"

Andronikos, becoming business-like answered, "I haven't checked. I just got here with you, Boss. I wanted to see your reaction to your new ship, first hand."

Just then, Khem Val entered the common crew space from his personal quarters. He'd heard Nox's question, and Andronikos' reply, and came out to inform his master.

"Master, your apprentices, I, and the pirate are aboard."

Turning to face Andronikos, Khem, grumpy as always, said to him, "Pirate, for the first time, I find my quarters adequate."

Andronikos, was put off by Khem Val's seeming ingratitude, and repeated, "_Adequate,_ eh?"

Khem nodded, and said, "For the first time I do not need to squeeze into a coffin to use the fresher, and my feet do not hang over the end of the bed. Because of this, when the day comes that I sever my bonds to my master, I shall not eat you, too."

Andronikos burst into laughter.

He said to Khem, still laughing, "I'm glad you liked your quarters, Khem!" Still laughing, he thought to himself, "_Coming from Khem, getting a promise that I won't get eaten is a big vote of thanks, in my book!_"

Getting back to business, Khem Val pointed at Andronikos' chest and said, "There is another matter."

Andronikos stopped laughing and said, "Uh, oh..."

Khem asked, "Why did you allow those scum to board our master's ship? They are a security risk and a blight that must be removed from before his presence."

Nox's good humor, from the moment of levity between Khem and Andronikos, began to sour as he turned to face Andronikos. It was obvious Nox was expecting an explanation. Andronikos gave him that explanation.

"They're my crew. I hired them so that we could plunder. You said it was alight for me to plunder, but if you want them gone, I'll tell them to get off the ship now, Boss."

Nox, feeling magnanimous towards Andronikos, said, "I'll allow it, but if even one of them gets out of line, kill them all."

Andronikos, was relieved Nox gave him a pass on his hired guns being on the ship.

He said to Nox, "Thanks, Boss. They won't get out of line. These guys are pros. They know how to behave themselves around Sith."

Nox, accepting Andronikos' voucher for his hired thugs, said, "Very well, but do they know where we're going?"

Again, Andronikos assured Nox, "No Boss. I only told them that while you was out wreaking death and destruction, that we was gonna pick up the pieces and make a killing off of what we sell."

Nodding his satisfaction at Andronikos' assurances, Nox moved on, ordering, "If everyone is aboard, then get us into space. We need to join up with Darth Eviscerous' 3027th Naval Task Force."

He then turned and walked to his quarters, leaving Andronikos, Khem Val, and the ship droid behind.

2V-R8, who'd been following Nox and Andronikos the entire time, had already linked with the ship's central controls and had updated his information database on the new ship he would maintain and care for. There were quite a large number of changes. The droid also took inventory of all of the ship's supplies, the food stores, as well as its missile magazines and fuel levels. All were adequately stocked. Andronikos had taken care of it all before arriving to Dromund Kaas.

2V-R8, anticipating his coming orders, asked Andronikos, "Shall I begin preflight operations and launch the ship, Captain?"

As Khem Val returned to his own quarters, Andronikos replied to the droid, "Aye. Then, when you get us into orbit, locate, contact, and then ask for permission to rendezvous with the 3027th Naval Task Force. When permission is granted, join up with the naval task force and take up our position within the formation which they indicate."

2V-R8 had already, remotely, completed preflight operations by the time Andronikos finished issuing his orders.

He reported, "Preflight operations are completed, Captain. I will now commence launch operations."

Andronikos could already hear the ship engines winding up, distantly, through the sound insulation, as he followed 2V-R8 into the command bridge. There, he saw the petite female Sith from before, in Nox's reception area outside his office. He hadn't known that Nox had taken on a new apprentice.

He introduced himself, "Hello, Sith. I'm Andronikos Revel. I command this ship for Darth Nox, and I don't like anyone on the command bridge during launch, landing, and navigation operations. So, could you leave the command deck until we complete launch maneuvers? Then you can come back, if you'd like. You get a really nice view of the galaxy from here. I'm sure you'll like it."

He expected her to _display her superiority_ and to try to _teach him a lesson_, but he was ready to explain to her that if she had an issue with his policies, to take it up with Darth Nox. To his shock and surprise, however, she quietly rose from the pilot's seat, and left the command bridge without so much as a glance in his direction. Andronikos knew right then that he'd better watch his back at all times whenever she was around.

He thought to himself, "_I better be nice to her..._"

He'd never met a Sith that took orders from a non-sith without getting bent all out of shape over it.

2V-R8 sat in the seat she had vacated while Andronikos sat in the navigator's seat. The droid lifted the ship off the launch pad and retracted the landing struts while pivoting the ship to face the hanger entryway which was opening to allow the ship to exit the hanger. The droid slid the ship forward slowly into the launch aperture. Once in the aperture, 2V-R8 lifted the ship strait up until it was outside of the Dromund Kaas Spaceport structure.

Andronikos sat quietly, monitoring every move the droid put the ship through. He kept a critical eye on the telemetry readouts that reported the ship's systems' performance, as 2V-R8 smoothly accelerated the ship and rotated it's angle of attack to almost 90 degrees.

Inside the ship, the artificial gravity systems made it feel as though the ship was standing still and level, but Andronikos knew the ship was flying almost straight up as he watched the stars fade into view. They became brighter as the azure sky darkened to cobalt blue, and then faded to deep black as the ship exited Dromund Kaas' atmosphere and entered the vacuum of space.

Andronikos supervised the ship droid's handling of the ship as 2V-R8 corrected their course, heading, and trajectory. 2V-R8 was directly linked to the ship's communications systems, so Andronikos did not hear 2V-R8 request the 3027th Naval Task Force for permission to rendezvous. He did however, see an IFF indicator light come on, which meant that his ship had just been recognized and accepted into the formation. Andronikos put on his headphones to listen to the comm chatter.

Low orbit was always crowded with traffic. Ships of every description and class were entering or leaving orbit, to or from the planet's surface. All ships, not of the Imperial Navy, had to stop for customs inspections while in orbit. It's one of the things that made traveling to and from Dromund Kaas very hectic.

Fortunately for him, he was in an Imperial Navy corvette, a Fury Class Interceptor. So, he didn't need to go through customs. Nox's ship was administratively listed as a military VIP transport from Moff Pyron's fleet, directly attached to _The Office of The Sphere of Ancient Knowledge_. That helped a lot with getting past checkpoints and with takeoffs and landings anywhere within the Sith Empire.

Looking out of the main canopy at the thousands of ships stuck in orbit, and queued up for customs inspections, made Andronikos think, "_It's times like these that make me glad I'm captain of the Boss' ship._"

The 3027th Naval Task Force was already accelerating and going into higher orbit when Nox's ship finally took its place in the formation. The ship settled into its spot ten kilometers to the side of Moff Pyron's own Fury Class Interceptor, two hundred kilometers behind the lead Terminus Class destroyer and two hundred kilometers in front of the dreadnought, _Carnage_.

Two hundred kilometers behind the _Carnage_, were the three Gage class troop transports. Each were two hundred kilometers apart from the other, in a reverse triangle formation, with two transport ships towards the front (behind the _Carnage_), and one transport behind the other two. Finally, two hundred kilometers behind the rearmost Gage class transport were the remaining two Terminous class destroyers of Eviscerous' task force. Those destroyers were four hundred kilometers apart from each other.

Around the outer perimeter of the large ships, including above and below the formation, were the sixteen _Fury_ class interceptors, acting as picket ships and scouts. The interceptors formed a rough spherical shell around the train of the seven gigantic ships, and Nox's ship, within. Eight of the interceptors formed an octagonal perimeter around the horizontal plain of the task force, while the remaining eight interceptors formed into two square formations, one above and one below the task force.

The whole task force formation was fourteen hundred kilometers across at the time Nox's ship joined them, but the ships were gradually spreading further apart as they got higher into orbit. Eventually, when they'd finally achieved their optimum patrol positions, just before their first hyperspace jump, _Task Force 3027: Reinforced_ was going to be fourteen thousand kilometers across.

Andronikos ordered the ship droid, "R8, switch on the automatic controls and link our auto-nav computer to the Carnage's command nav system."

2V-R8 complied and verified completion of the task. Now the ship could fly itself and stay in formation while making course corrections from instructions given to it by the Carnage's command navigation system.

When Andronikos confirmed that the droid had carried out its orders, he told the droid, "Remain at your seat and monitor the ship's systems. Make note of any anomalies and prepare recommendations for recalibration and systems tuning."

2V-R8 replied, "Acknowledged, Captain."

Andronikos left his navigator's seat and exited the bridge. Upon entering the common crew space, he saw the petite female Sith from before, and another, much taller female Sith he hadn't seen before. The two women were seated in the crew lounge.

The petite woman wore a black hooded robe with the hood pulled back. Under the robe, she wore black flexible armor with bright red accents. Andronikos noted that there were an awful lot of repair patch jobs on her robes and armor.

Andronikos thought, "_She must be a feisty little girl._"

He noted that the taller woman wore a black hooded cloak with flexible armor underneath. Her under armor was a medium light grey with black and red markings on it. She also wore her hood pulled back.

The taller woman, with jet black hair, addressed him in a most familiar manner, and complimented him, saying, "Well, Andronikos, you're as handsome as ever. You really out-did yourself designing this ship's interior. It's not exactly my taste, but it is rather nice."

She smiled flirtatiously at him. Andronikos was taken off guard. He racked his brain trying to remember if he'd met her somewhere before. For the life of him, he could not.

Smiling back at her, Andronikos said to the tall beauty, "Darth Nox must have told you all about me. Or have I met you somewhere before?"

The Sith laughed, and clapped her hands lightly in front of her bosom.

She said, "That's right! You weren't on Taris where Darth Nox found us. Isn't that right?"

Andronikos stepped to one of the lounge chairs and sank into its luxuriously soft and supple embrace. He spoke in a friendly tone.

"Alright, I suppose we should all introduce ourselves. You already know my name, but in case you didn't know, I'm captain of this ship, and I do some of the Boss' dirty work, when he don't want to attract attention to himself. Since you're both new to the Boss' crew, why don't you tell me who you both are?"

Andronikos realized he hadn't yet seen Xalek, but Xalek was quite an austere personality. He tended to keep to himself, and only came out of his quarters when he had business outside of his room. He also hadn't seen Talos, but Darth Nox had explained that Talos wasn't needed for this operation, so he left him behind to study some artifact they'd found on Taris.

The flirtatious woman said, "My identity is a secret. So, you mustn't tell anyone. Darth Nox would be terribly displeased if the secret got out."

Andronikos drew his thumb and forefinger across his lips as though zipping them shut. Then he waited for her to reveal her secret.

The woman said, "I'm Zash."

Andronikos looked blankly at her.

Amused by Andronikos' lack of reaction, Zash asked, "Surely you haven't forgotten me?"

Andronikos' brow wrinkled slightly as he replied, "Well... So much for introductions."

He rose from his seat, and started to walk off to the engineering spaces. He wanted to inspect the new engines' performance levels.

Zash laughed delightedly at Andronikos' reaction, but Shahn finally spoke.

"The dark lord found her mind trap, and then put Zash's mind into this body which once belonged to a Jedi."

Andronikos froze in his tracks. He slowly turned to face the two women. Zash was eying Shahn with quite a bit of displeasure showing in her cold eyes. She was having fun playing with Andronikos, and Shahn went and ruined it for her.

Shahn had done it because, somehow, she found that she didn't like Zash, and she took delight in seeing Zash's displeasure painted all over her face. Zash could feel Shahn's gleeful laughter, hidden beneath her stone calm facade.

She thought to herself, "_So, Little girl, you want to play games with the adults? Then I'll play with you. And we'll see if you'll still find it fun._"

Andronikos, disbelief and amazement in his tone, pointed at her and asked, "You mean to tell me, the boss got your mind out of _that box_ and put it in _this body?!_"

Zash, returning her gaze to him, and resuming her playful facade, said teasingly, "That's it, exactly! You're so clever!"

Andronikos swallowed to clear his throat and asked, "What happened to the..."

Zash cut him off, answering his unfinished question, "The poor Jedi is in that horrible prison. I truly feel sorry for her, but I'm so glad to be out of there."

Andronikos shook his head in disbelief. He was about to ask why it was that Khem hadn't tried to kill her if it were true, but wisely decided against it.

Instead, he said with great uncertainty in his tone, "Welcome back, I suppose?"

Laughing at Andronikos' unsure welcome, Zash flirted with him, "Would you like to help me try out my new body? I'm curious to find out how it all feels..."

He laughed in surprise at what she suggested, but hiding his revulsion to the idea, replied self-depreciatingly, "Sith are way too complicated for me to get involved with in that way, but uh... I'm honored you asked."

Zash laughed with great amusement at his reply, and at his response to her proposition. Although she did feel slightly disappointed with the revulsion she felt within him.

She asked in a hurt tone, "Why? Don't you find me attractive?"

Andronikos, told her the truth, "I like your _new looks_ just fine. But you've had _three different looks_ so far, and I just can't get my mind past that idea. You know what I mean?"

Shaking her head in disappointment, Zash said, "Your loss, Andronikos."

Andronikos, nodded sheepishly, and said, "I'm a simple man. What can I say?" Then, turning to Shahn, he asked her, "What about you? What's your name?" And then, "You're not using someone else' body, too, eh?"

That made Zash explode in laughter.

Shahn had to hold back a smirk on hearing that, too.

Then she replied, "I'm Shahn Lunn."

She then fell silent, saying nothing more about herself.

Seeing that Shahn wasn't going to say any more than that, he said to her, politely, "Nice to meet you, Shahn." He started to turn away, and then stopped as he remembered to add, "If you want to look at the stars, the control bridge is open to visitors, now."

Then he turned and walked to the engineering spaces. Andronikos decided that he really needed to have a look at those engines.

He thought to himself, "_Damn! This is the second body she took over! First she takes up a corner in Khem's body, and plays tug-of-war with him for control of his body, and now this! She takes over a Jedi's body!_"

His body shook involuntarily. The thought of making out with a '_possessed body_' gave him the heebie-jeebies. Andronikos concentrated on the task ahead, to keep from having to think of all of that _weird Sith stuff_. But the funny way that minds work, conspired against him as his mind flashed an image of him in Khem Val's loving embrace. Andronikos' body shook involuntarily, again.

He grossed himself out, and nearly shouted, "Yuck! Oh, that's just gross!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Moff Pyron had concluded his final report to Darth Nox and said to his benefactor, "Dark Lord, may The Force be with you on your own endeavors. I look forward to laughing in the faces of my colleagues who doubted you, and to watch them squirm when I ask them if they still want Acina to be their benefactor."

Nox, anticipating the coming battle and craving her death, told Pyron, "Be ready to be vindicated in the face of your rivals, Pyron."

Nox cut the transmission.

Pyron then ordered his ship commander to break formation with the 3027th Naval Task Force. Later, his ship rejoined his two Terminous class destroyers, still in lower orbit.

Less than an hour later, with the 3027th already gone, Pyron's small detachment of destroyers and his ship left the Dromund star system on their way to Pyron's naval group, hidden somewhere in deep space.


	43. Invasion and Occupation

Invasion and Occupation

Acina was in a very dark and bitter mood. She'd just destroyed the droid that had been sent to deliver an oral report to her. The day before, Nox's apprentices had raided her research and development facilities throughout Dromund Kaas and had killed most of her top ranking Sith within her powerbase.

Acina, in disbelief, thought to herself, "_Four Darths, dead!_"

The eight apprentices, killed alongside their four Darth masters, barely flicked through her thoughts.

Worse than the news of the loss of her four Darth subordinates, was that her top administrators, all Sith, who oversaw the inner workings of her _sphere of influence_ within The Citadel, were massacred by Nox's apprentices as well. Although none of them were _Darths_, there were three _Lords of Sith_ among the eighteen Sith that were murdered.

Had she not destroyed her droid messenger, upon hearing of the massacre at The Citadel, she would have learned that her four Darth subordinates' bodies had been mutilated. There were signs that large pieces of their corpses seemed to have been eaten. Their half eaten severed limbs were found scattered at each location of their murders.

Acina would also have learned that the Sith and Imperial soldiers at her offices of her sphere of influence, were mostly killed without warning and in such a way that showed they offered very little resistance, if any resistance at all. It was as though they just fell in heaps onto the floor and just died in place.

Very few that were killed showed signs of lightsaber burns. Their bodies had been found scattered throughout the many offices and corridors of Acina's head offices. The alarm had not been sounded for quite some time, until a slave returning from her master's errand, found her master dead, at his desk, from no apparent cause.

Acina thought aloud, "_All of this slaughter! All on the same day!_" Acina shook her head in disbelief as she thought, "_In one day, thirty of my most important leaders within my powerbase, were murdered?! And they were all slaughtered by only two of Nox's apprentices?!_"

Acina decided that there had to be some kind of error in the report.

She thought, "_That can't be right._"

The report had said that it was only one of Nox's Sith servants that had rampaged through her offices in The Citadel, but she refused to believe that a single Sith could wipe out eighteen Sith and forty three Imperial soldiers.

In a report she received, via holo-transmitter the day before, the day of the massacre, her spies reported that Nox had left Dromund Kaas with two apprentices, the Dashade, and ten Mandalorian mercenaries. There was no information about where they were going. Her spies reported they were unable to get a ship quickly enough to trail Nox's ship. There was no mention in their report of the slaughter of her people.

She surmised that her spies were not aware of the massacres. According to her spies' report, the time Nox boarded his ship was about an hour after the time of the slaughter at The Citadel, the other murders having occurred over a period of several hours throughout the day. She wondered if those apprentices with Nox were the ones from the report delivered to her by the droid.

Acina cut another piece from her exquisitely prepared Alderaanian style broiled nerf steak. She lifted the piece of succulent meat to her mouth and began chewing. Her mind was far from her dinner table, and so she did not enjoy the wonderful flavor of the perfectly seasoned and broiled steak. She washed it down with a sip of Corellian Merlot. The wonderful mix of flavors went unnoticed by Acina.

A small bump from her table and the rattle of her dinner ware brought Acina out of her far away thoughts. Looking around, she saw nothing that could have jostled her table. Then her entire dining room shook, rattled, and swayed as though from a major ground quake, except that she was on board the Arcanum in deep space. She cursed the imbecile researcher that had probably bungled an experiment, thus causing mayhem aboard the station with one of the Emperor's exotic artifacts.

The alarm sounded and an announcement was made.

"All hands to battle stations! All hands to battle stations! Unknown enemy force is attacking! Unknown enemy force is attacking! Stand by for further information and further orders! Stand by for further information and further orders!"

The station stopped shaking as the station defense group switched from cloaking shields to anti-blast shields.

Acina thought to herself, _"How would anyone know where the Arcanum is located, and how could they know where to aim?! Didn't the station have its cloaking shields up? It should have been invisible to the eye and to electronic scanners!"_

Acina got to her knees, beside her dinner table, and closed her eyes as she meditated. She reached out with The Force, and found nothing.

She thought to herself, _"If there are Jedi among them, then they are carefully concealing their presence."_

Ten minutes had passed when a droid entered Acina's private quarters.

The droid reported, "Dark Lord, the attackers are Imperial military forces comprising the dreadnought _Carnage_ and its Task Force Group. The commander of the raid force is Darth Eviscerous. He has ordered all hands aboard the station to surrender. General Iissak issued a counter order, demanding in reply, quote: '_You are attacking The Emperor_'_s space station, cease your attacks and report yourselves to Imperial High Command for disciplinary action._' End quote."

Acina was deeply shocked. She shouted her question at the droid.

"Imperial?! _Imperial forces?!_"

The droid answered and then continued its report.

"Yes, Imperial forces, Dark Lord. Darth Eviscerous' reply to General Iissak's demand was as follows: quote: '_You've had your chance, now you will all die._' End quote."

Acina ordered the droid, "Leave me!"

The droid left as ordered. Acina contacted the commander of the space station and asked, "Who is Darth Eviscerous?"

General Iissak replied, "The dreadnought is the _Carnage_. Command of the Carnage went to Lord Kirnon when he defeated Darth Achelon. I'm inclined to believe that Darth Eviscerous is Lord Kirnon's new name and title, Dark Lord."

A cold lump of icy dread began to fill the pit of her stomach as Acina asked rhetorically, _"Lord Kirnon is now Darth Eviscerous?"_

The truth of that statement led her to conclude the worst.

She thought aloud, "_Then Darth Nox is behind this attack._" After a pause she ordered the general, "Stay on the alert for Darth Nox. He is likely participating in this raid. Advise me as soon as he is spotted."

She cut the transmission and began pacing back and forth in her private quarters. The station rocked gently and rattled slightly as the Carnage's blaster cannon fire impacted it's outer hull through the weakening anti-blast shields.

Fear and rage battled for control of Acina's state of mind. Rage had gotten the upper hand as Acina donned her battle armor.

As she tightened the straps of her cuirass, she wondered to herself, _"How in damnation did he find this station?!"_

Suddenly, the Arcanum was rocked by a massive blast that shook the station like a giant ground quake. Acina was knocked off of her feet and onto her buttocks. She got back onto her feet and was knocked right back down again as the station shook violently from a second powerful blast. Acina scrambled to her feet and rushed to her desk.

There, she contacted General Iissak and demanded, "What just happened?!"

General Iissak compressed his lips before he replied, "The Southern and Western space docks have had their force shields blasted out of commission. They are landing huge numbers of troops, equipment and supplies into the space docks."

He paused as he thought on how best to report the worst of the news.

Acina noticed his hesitation, and blasted her demand at him, "Tell me what's happening, damn you!"

General Iissak immediately replied, "They have three Gage Class troop transporters, and the Imperial forces landing are Shock Troops. Based on their behavior and the number of troop carriers ferrying troops and supplies to the station, I'm inclined to believe we are facing a force that is three divisions in strength.

"The heavy war droids accompanying the shock troops, and the deliberate manner in which they are making their way deeper into the station all points to invasion and occupation. This isn't a simple raid, Dark Lord. They have come to stay."

General Iissak went out on a limb, risking his life, and said, "Dark Lord, forgive me, but I must report that we do not have the numbers to repel this invasion. Please, escape while you can."

Acina bristled and shouted, "Do you think I'm some kind of coward?! I will not flee! You will do whatever is needed to throw them back out into space!" She was incredulous and couldn't believe she actually had to explain to the general, "This is the _Emperor's_ space station! Do you understand what _failure will mean?!_ The station cannot fall into anyone's hands! Now, FIGHT!"

Acina cut the transmission as fear began to assert itself again.

* * *

Andronikos sat in the conference room at the side of the long conference table, two seats down from where Nox would sit at the head of the table. From there, he watched as first Zash and then Shahn entered the conference room, one right after the other. They entered from the opposite end of the conference room from where he sat.

Andronikos' Mandalorian team leader sat in the chair next to his, further down from Nox's seat. Khem Val, as usual, walked in right behind Darth Nox.

Andronikos chuckled under his breath as he thought of Khem Val for the umpteenth time, "_Damn! He's a paranoid one. Even on board ship he's guarding the boss._"

Then he remembered Zash was aboard this time.

Nox took his place at the head of the conference table. Khem stood behind and to the right of Nox's chair, where he could get a clear shot at Zash with his vibrosword, if she threatened his master.

Nox quickly scanned the table with his eyes, then said, "Everyone's here, so let's begin."

Andronikos corrected, "Uh..., Boss, Xalek ain't here yet."

Everyone looked at Andronikos.

Khem laughed, "Ha! Ha!"

He remained silent after that.

Shahn, sitting across from the Mandalorian, looked pained and turned her face away from Andronikos.

Zash, sitting across from Andronikos, looked at Nox and asked, "Shall I tell him?"

Nox said to Andronikos, who sat at the dark lord's left, "Xalek was killed by a Jedi Master on Taris."

Andronikos was shocked by what he'd heard. He could never imagine Xalek falling to anyone except to Nox. Andronikos knew, Xalek was _that good_.

He asked rhetorically, "_Xalek died?_ I can't believe it."

Nox added a few details, "Darth Xalek and Lord Shahn fought against two Jedi. Xalek killed his opponent, and Shahn's opponent, somehow, got a shot in on Xalek and killed him.

Andronikos turned to look at Shahn and said with suspicion in his tone, "Shahn becomes an apprentice of Darth Nox, and then Xalek dies... Convenient."

Zash began laughing at his observation, but quickly stifled her laughter.

It wasn't just Khem Val, but Zash knew that Nox was still upset about losing, first Ashara, and then Xalek. There was no need to antagonize the dark lord unnecessarily by laughing about his losses, seemed to be the unspoken consensus between Khem and Zash.

However, Shahn shot Andronikos a furious look. Andronikos immediately began to feel his vitality draining rapidly, and felt his mind fogging up.

Nox rebuked Shahn sharply, "Stop that, Shahn!"

Shahn immediately halted her attack and hastily replied to her master, fear in her voice, "My apologies, Dark Lord. Forgive me!"

Andronikos thought to himself, "_Sometimes it's best to keep my damned mouth shut, but when am I ever gonna learn that, after I'm dead?_" After a moment to think, he laughed inwardly at himself as he concluded, "_Heh! Yeah, that's when I'll learn!_"

Shahn bowed her head, gluing her eyes to a spot on the conference table before her. She remained that way and kept silent thereafter. She didn't want to do nor say anything else to anger her master.

Andronikos, breathing hard and shaking his head to clear the fog that clouded his mind after Shahn's attack, asked, "Well..., what else... went... wrong... since I've been... gone?"

Nox said flatly, "That can wait. Talk to Khem later to get the details." Then with only a tiny pause to take in air, he launched into his briefing, saying, "Pay attention, everyone. The section of the station we will enter is far from the support of my forces. We will be alone."

Nox activated the holo-projector in the center of the conference table and brought up a real-time holo-projection of the scene playing out, just outside the space station. He began explaining what they were seeing, using a telescoping pointer to indicate what each element in the holographic representation was.

Darth Nox said, "Two Gage class troop transports have successfully docked with the external docking rings on the station's outer ring, below the main space docks. One transport docked at the one hundred eighty degree position, and the other docked at the two hundred seventy degree position of the space station."

Nox pointed out the two giant transport ships parked sideways and physically linked to the space station.

He said, "The third Gage-class transport is ferrying troops, equipment, and supplies into the main space docks a few levels above the main invasion points, around the two hundred and twenty fifth degree position of the space station. They are setting up in a defensive posture to be positioned as reinforcements in the reserve, as needed. Our forces have the initiative and their initial momentum has carried the shock troops deep into the space station."

Nox changed the view to the interior of the space station.

The interior levels and circular corridors were highlighted in different colors. Red areas with black outlines were areas controlled by Nox's forces. Whereas areas still in Acina's control were blue with white outlines. The vaults were marked white with green outlines.

Andronikos whistled, and asked incredulously, "It's only been an hour, and we've already got control of over a third of the station?!"

Nox nodded and said, "That's thanks to Acina keeping a light security presence on board. The fool has learned absolutely nothing from that raid a year ago." Nox shook his head, thinking derisively of Acina, "_Stupid wench! How did you manage to win The Hand_'_s favor and get the responsibility of guarding the Emperor_'_s treasures?!_"

Forcing those thoughts out of his mind and returning to the matter at hand, Nox zoomed to a section of the space station, a central spire that towered high above the domed upper hull of the station.

Nox pointed to a section of the spire and said, "Our electronic warfare specialists say that there is a lot of command and control communications coming and going to this area here. All orders and communications to all enemy forces are coming from the central hub at the bottom of the spire, but there is also a steady stream of communications going from the hub to this point, high in the spire."

Nox said, "I believe that's Acina's private quarters. There is a private space dock below this point. That's where we will enter. We will fight our way up, however many levels there are, between the space dock and her lair. The schematics say it's four levels in total, but there are some discrepancies with these schematics. We shall confront Acina somewhere in there. Any questions?"

The Mandalorian mercenary whispered into Andronikos' ear.

Andronikos quipped, "You Mandalorians really hate the easy jobs, huh?"

The Mando reminded him, "We want the combat bonus you provisioned in our contract."

Turning to Nox, Andronikos asked, "Is there anything particular you want me and my hired guns to do? Or can we really just do our own thing and loot the place, Boss?"

Deciding on the spot, Nox replied, "I have decided to use your Mando mercenaries to augment my power. You will cover my rear and clear any rooms I bypass as I and my group plunge forward. After we have destroyed Acina, and wiped out any resistance that remains, you may loot and plunder all that you wish. Just remember to stay out of the vaults."

Andronikos said, "You got it, Boss."

Nox told his team, "We will move for the private space dock in ten minutes. Get yourselves ready for battle. Today, I slay my enemy! Today, my power shall be recognized, and I shall be feared by all!"

The mercenary was particularly moved by Nox's speech. He pounded the table with his armored fist and stomped his armored boot onto the beautifully polished hardwood floor, leaving an ugly mark on the wood surface. Then he shouted something in the Mandalorian tongue.

Andronikos turned to the mercenary and said, "Yeah, the boss makes good speeches. Eh? Just wait until you see him fight. It'll get your blood boiling."

The mercenary smiled, nodding his approval.

Nox, wanting to get going, nearly shouted, "Enough wasting time! Get moving, everyone!"

* * *

Acina contacted the commander of the Imperial Guard and said, "I need your forces to join the regular troops to help repel the invaders."

The Imperial Guard commander, General Frah-iim, a Human, replied, "With all due respect, Dark Lord, the enemy has shown no sign of entering the vaults. As long as the vaults remain shut with my forces locked within each vault, there is no reason for me to open the vaults to let my forces out."

Acina argued, "If the station falls, the vaults are next."

General Frah-iim produced a datapad and said, "This is from Darth Eviscerous, Dark Lord." Then he read the message, "_My lord, Darth Nox, Dark Lord of The Sith, is locked in a duel with Darth Acina. The two are conducting a Kaggath. Darth Nox has strictly instructed all of his forces to stay out of the vaults._

_"Darth Nox's only objective is to embarrass and to kill Darth Acina. He will return control of the station to the Imperial Guard when he has completed his objectives. None of the Emperor_'_s treasures shall be harmed, nor examined._"

General Frah-iim looked up from reading the message on his datapad, and said, "So far, Dark Lord, Darth Nox's forces have held true and have not so much as looked at the vault doors, and they control well over half of the station."

Then he said something Acina was completely unprepared for.

"I will consult with General Iissak and recommend that he surrender. With that, the damage to the station will be limited. I suggest you leave the station now. With the fighting halted, it will be easy for Darth Nox and his servants to reach your quarters."

Acina screamed at the Imperial Guard commander, "You traitor! Coward! Filth! You call yourself an Imperial Guardsman? Fight and defend the station!"

General Frah-iim said, "As a reminder, I only answer to my chain of command up to the Emperor, and you are _not_ in my chain of command. Also, by ending the fighting sooner, I _am_ protecting the station and the vaults. It is your fault, that your Kaggath involved the station.

"You should not have hidden here. It was inevitable that Darth Nox would have hunted you down, and brought the fight to you, here. It is your actions that have endangered the station and the Emperor's treasures. I shall send a report to The Hand and advise him of the situation."

Acina cut the transmission. There was nothing else she could do or say. She finally saw the truth of the situation. She had lost the station to Nox.

Just over a year ago, she had withdrawn to the space station with her apprentices while she consolidated her position as the new Dark Councilor overseeing _The Office of The Sphere of Technology_. However, one of her apprentices betrayed her when he led a raid to steal artifacts from the Emperor's vaults.

This time, none of her apprentices were aboard. Now that she needed them at her side to face Nox, they were not available. She cursed Nox. She cursed her failed attempts to weaken him, and she cursed The Force for leading her down this path.

Fear defeated rage and took control of her actions. She contacted her droids and ordered them to ready her ship for immediate departure. Before departing her quarters for her ship, she gave a device and special instructions to one of her droids. Then she made her way down, three levels, to her private space dock and her ship.


	44. The Quarry Escapes

The Quarry Escapes

Andronikos piloted the Fury Interceptor himself, maneuvering wildly to avoid the blaster cannon fire pouring at the ship from several batteries on the spire.

As he made his final approach to the private space dock, he shouted into the ship's public address system, "All hands brace for impact! I'm going in hot and heavy!"

Securely strapped in the commander's seat, Nox noticed that the Phantom X-70B, which Acina was known to favor, was not in its hanger bay. She had acquired the ship from the Imperial Intelligence Service when the agency had been dissolved a year before. He began to wonder if she had fled the station and the battle, or if she had intended to board one of his warships to commandeer it from him. Perversely, he had hoped it was the latter, because he wanted her to give him a good fight before he finished her off.

Nox brought up a holo image of the private hanger, and though the image was tiny and taken from a very bad angle, the image was clear. The nose end of her ship could be seen inside the private space dock. Nox contacted Admiral Thane.

Admiral Thane had survived being thrown by Darth Achelon at Eviscerous, when he was known as Kirnon. He had also made a full recovery, and as such continued serving as the executive officer of the task force under Eviscerous' command. Admiral Henness Thane had been left in command of the 3027th Naval Task Force, by Darth Eviscerous, so that the Sith lord could board the station to lead his shock troop divisions in the conquest of the Arcanum.

The admiral responded to Darth Nox' summons, "Admiral Henness Thane here. What are your orders, Dark Lord?"

Nox reported the situation, telling him, "Admiral Thane, alert the task force of the possibility that Darth Acina has boarded one of your ships to wreak havoc with the task force. Her ship is no longer in its docking bay."

Admiral Thane replied, "Right away, Dark Lord. Please excuse me, Dark Lord."

Admiral Thane cut the connection.

Andronikos turned the ship one hundred eighty degrees on it's axis, facing the ship away from the private space dock. He then fired the main thrusters to brake the ship. When the ship had slowed to a crawl, he cut the main engines and turned the ship about again and eased the ship, nose first, into the hanger bay.

He announced, "The force field is down, so the hanger bay is in vacuum. All hands will need to don space suits to exit the ship."

Nox told Andronikos, "Go out and see if you can get the shield back up and the hanger bay repressurized."

Andronikos replied, "I'm right on it, Boss. I'll take the mercs out with me to clear the hanger bay. We'll make sure no bad guys are out there waiting for us."

Andronikos was busy piloting the ship, so he did not see Nox nod his approval.

Darth Nox didn't want to wear his space suit if he could help it, which was why he'd ordered Andronikos to go out to see if anything could be done about it. A short while later, Andronikos went out with his crew of eleven Mandalorian mercenaries. While the mercenaries cleared the hanger bay, Andronikos looked over the hanger bay controls.

Andronikos reported back in less than five minutes after exiting the ship.

"Sorry, Boss. The controls have been destroyed. I can't even get it done manually from here." He continued his report, saying, "My crew checked out the dock. It's clear. No ambush in the hanger bay. They must be waiting for us on the other side of the blast door going into the station."

Nox acknowledged, "Very well."

Then he got out of the Commander's seat and walked to his private quarters to prepare to don his space suit.

Ten minutes later, 2V-R8 inspected Nox's, Zash's, and Shahn's space suits, in preparation for Nox and his apprentices to exit the ship.

Khem Val shoved the droid away, and told it, "Out of my way, or I shall use you for spare parts!"

2V-R8 replied, "There are plenty of spare parts available in the ship's stores. There is no need to cannibalize my chassis for parts, Master Khem."

Khem shook his head inside his space helmet, amused by the droid's reply. He gave a laugh as he left his, now spacious quarters, and walked into the common crew section.

Khem Val contacted Andronikos and asked, "Pirate, have you found an airlock into the station? The blast door will let the station atmosphere out, and we shall all be blown into space."

Andronikos replied flippantly, "I sure did, Captain Obvious. I'm checking it out, now. It looks good, so far. I'll have it all checked out by the time you guys come out. You got any other suggestions for me, Captain Obvious?"

Khem replied testily, "Yes, stay out of the path of my vibrosword."

Andronikos smirked, because he knew he'd just pushed one of Khem's buttons. Then he replied, "Whoa! That's great advice! I'll be sure to do exactly that!"

Khem knew this could go on, and on. So, he resolved to remain silent.

Nox was about to tell the two to focus on the mission, when 2V-R8 reported to Nox, "Admiral Thane is attempting to contact you, Master. Shall I accept the transmission?"

Nox, standing at the hatch of his personal quarters, and forgetting about Khem Val and Andronikos Revel, said to the droid, "Put it through."

Nox took a half step towards the center of the common crew space, but jerked to a stop. He was surprised that Admiral Thane's holo-image appeared in front of him, right where he stood, instead of in the center of the common crew space where the holo-transmitter terminal used to be.

Admiral Thane's image snapped to attention and reported, "Dark Lord, all ships have inspected all landing bays. No ships, foreign to this task force, has been found. Additionally, there have been no reports of enemy raiders aboard any of the task force's ships. All ships' crews remain on high alert against the possibility of hostile boarders."

Nox replied, "Very well, Admiral. Carry on."

The admiral replied, "As you say, Dark Lord." Nox cut the transmission.

He shook his head and thought disgustedly, "_She ran away! The coward!_"

He was disappointed that she was not going to give him the fight that he wanted. However, he realized that he was getting ahead of himself. He still actually needed to capture the station.

Despite knowing this, he thought gleefully, "_She has abandoned the Emperor_'_s station to me! I have won!_"_  
_

Darth Nox, along with everyone else, had to carry their battle armor separately, because the armor didn't fit inside their space suits. Andronikos waved everyone into the airlock. Once it was pressurized, everyone changed out of their space suits and into their battle armor.

Ten minutes later, the Mandalorian mercenaries, taking point, arranged themselves in two rows of five. The front row knelt, and the back row stood, as they readied themselves to blast their way into the station. Andronikos took his place behind his mercenaries and next to their leader. Behind the former pirate stood Khem Val, then Shahn and Zash, with Nox bring up the rear. He didn't feel comfortable with Zash standing behind him, so Nox made sure he was in back.

Andronikos gave the command, "Shields up, everyone!" Then to the Mandalorian team leader, he ordered, "Open it."

Andronikos' pirate blood boiled with excitement. It had been a while since he'd conducted a raid for plunder and profit. He was filled with nostalgia for his wild and rough pirate days before he'd met Nox. The circular airlock door pushed into the airlock with a hiss of air, before rolling into it's recess.

As expected, they were greeted by a storm of blaster fire. The mercenaries opened up with a mixed volley of high explosive grenades, EMP grenades, and armor piercing mini-rocket fire. They then immediately followed that up with a storm of blaster fire from their overpowered assault rifles. In seconds, the light and medium grade security droids were decimated.

The Mando mercenaries rushed out and swept the passage way in both directions in teams of five. Andronikos, the Mando team leader, and Khem Val took up positions just outside of the airlock entrance looking at the action in either direction of the small passage way, with the Mando team leader shouting commands to his men. Immediately after silence had returned, Khem signaled Nox to exit.

The three Sith came out of the airlock. Nox and his apprentices turned right and paused in the passageway near the airlock, while Nox consulted a three dimensional holographic diagram. Since they didn't enter through the blast doors, their orientation had changed and a new route to Acina's quarters had to be plotted.

Darth Nox, his apprentices, Khem Val, Andronikos Revel and his mercenary team leader studied it carefully and listened as Nox explained the new route they would take to Acina's quarters. Andronikos and his mercenaries would add their firepower to Nox's team, covering the rear as Nox's group advanced. With all the bases covered, Nox gave the go ahead. Khem lead the charge ahead of Nox, with Shahn and Zash covering Nox's flanks on either side of him.

Khem Val, leading the attack, walked at a brisk pace. After their initial encounter at the airlock, there seemed to be no further resistance as they made their way through the passage ways and broad staircases leading up the spire to her private quarters. The rooms Nox bypassed, and the Mandalorian mercenaries searched and cleared, all seemed to be set up for private social gatherings, small, large, and grand. Only a very few of the rooms seemed to have any official purpose.

Nox wondered to himself, "_To whom has she been playing hostess? This is suppose to be a secret station housing the Emperor_'_s personal treasures._"

Nox's assault group finally made it to Acina's private quarters. Aside from the initial confrontation from the security droids at the airlock, they'd only passed a few protocol droids on their way to her quarters. Acina's quarters were also empty, except for two protocol droids.

One of the droids approached and announced itself, "Greetings, esteemed guests. I am protocol droid, 9T-M8. On behalf of the dark lord, Darth Acina, I welcome you to her home away from home. I have been tasked with delivering a message to you, Dark Lord. Would you like to hear it?"

Darth Nox, wanting clues as to where Acina might have escaped, said, "I'll hear it."

The droid produced a device from a utility compartment in its chassis. It was about to push a button on it, when Khem Val's vibrosword came down on its arms, severing both arms and causing the droid's hands, parts of both of its forearms and the device to fall to the floor. Khem Val gave the protocol droid a vicious kick to it's chest and sent the machine stumbling backwards until it finally stabilized itself.

The droid said, "I apologize if I have said or done something to have caused you offense, Dark Lord. I shall endeavor to improve my services. If you'll excuse me, I must report to the droid maintenance facility. I have sustained damage to my chassis."

Nox, surprised by Khem's sudden vicious attack on the droid, only managed to say, "Then go."

The droid turned about and left Acina's quarters.

Khem Val, kneeling, scanned the device on the floor where it had fallen.

He then stated, as he stood again, "It is a bomb, Master."

Nox, shook his head, as a chill ran up and down his entire being.

He said, "Khem, your instincts are strong. Once again, you've saved me from my own blunders."

As Khem bent down again, to neutralize the device, Nox turned to face the remaining droid and began to interrogate it, "Where is Darth Acina?"

The droid replied, "Darth Acina has left the space station. I was not advised as to her destination."

Nox asked, "Why did she abandon the station? Why did she leave?"

The droid responded, "The dark lord left under the advice of General Frah-iim, commander of the Imperial Guard stationed here."

Nox asked, "Why did he advise her to leave?"

The droid replied, "The general believed that the station would suffer heavy damage and that the Emperor's artifacts and devices would become endangered. He intended to consult with General Iissak about surrendering in order to mitigate further damage. General Frah-iim believed Darth Acina would be endangered after the Station had been surrendered."

Nox took out his holo-transmitter from it's compartment in his utility belt and contacted Darth Eviscerous. There was a delay of a few minutes before Eviscerous finally answered Nox's call. When Eviscerous' image appeared, he was already kneeling on one knee.

He apologized, saying, "Forgive the delay in my answering, Dark Lord. I was in the midst of a vicious fight for a passage way leading to a bank of turbolifts. I'm almost to the command hub, and my forces have control of over three quarters of the station.

"We have overwhelmed them, Dark Lord. Their forces were scattered, but as we push them back, their lines become more concentrated. They seem to be pulling back in order to strengthen their numbers by consolidating their forces, but this strategy will avail them of nothing, Dark Lord. Your victory is assured."

Nox replied to Eviscerous' report, "Very good." Then he asked, "Has anyone contacted you about surrender?"

Eviscerous answered succinctly, "No, Dark Lord."

Nox ordered him, "Give them a call and offer them terms for surrender. I'm not after their heads. I just want this station."

Darth Eviscerous objected, "They may betray us and launch a sneak attack, Dark Lord. We should finish them off."

Nox reiterated his order, reminding him, "Remember my final objective. I plan to relinquish the station once we reach Korriban. There is no need to finish them off."

Darth Eviscerous replied, "As you say, Dark Lord. I will contact you with the results of my negotiations with them."

Nox simply replied, "Good."

Then he cut the transmission.

Turning to face Andronikos, Nox ordered, "Sweep these quarters carefully for hidden assassins, booby traps, and spying devices. These quarters will become my headquarters on this station until our arrival to Korriban. Take whatever you wish from the station, but remember to stay out of the vaults."

Andronikos nodded, and smiling in anticipation of booty and plunder, replied to his _employer_, "Understood, Boss."

He signaled the Mandalorian team leader to follow him as he left Acina's private quarters.

Nox addressed the remaining droid, "Droid, listen to me."

The droid replied, "Yes, Dark Lord."

Nox told it, "Get every droid remaining in these private quarters and in the levels below, including the private hanger deck, and report to the droid maintenance section. There are to be no droids of any kind left anywhere in these four levels. Understood?"

The droid replied. "Yes, Dark Lord. I'll see to it now." The droid departed to carry out its assignment.

Zash approached Darth Nox and said, "Dark Lord, you didn't seem very surprised that Acina wasn't here."

Nox said, out of the blue, "Call me, _Master_."

Zash became instantly livid upon hearing Nox's command, and her face showed it plainly. Khem Val, seeing her fury rise, grasped the hilt of his vibrosword and readied himself to strike Zash down. Shahn bowed her head towards Darth Nox and, stepping away from Zash, grasped the hilt of her sabrestaff in preparation to strike Zash down as well.

Zash, looking around at Khem Val and at Shahn, realized that she would not prevail. She pulled in the reins of her fury and of her pride.

Then, bowing her head towards Nox, she spoke through clenched teeth, saying, "Master, you seem to have anticipated Acina's absence."

Nox replied, as if nothing were amiss, "In the intelligence briefing, when I was told about high level communications to this area, I could see the nose of her ship in the holo-image of the hanger bay. However, as we approached for our assault, the ship was gone. I suspected that she'd fled."

Zash, her voice quavering with fury, replied, "I see," she hesitated a split second before grudgingly adding, "Master."

Nox then gave out his next set of orders, "Lord Shahn, Zash, find Darth Eviscerous and lend him your power to finish this fight, in case General Iissak refuses to surrender."

Shahn, without hesitation replied, "Yes, Master."

Zash also, without hesitation replied, but her voice was barely audible. She'd realized that Nox had called Shahn, _Lord_ Shahn, but only called her by her name without her title. It had finally dawned on her, that not once had Nox ever called her name with her title, since he'd gotten her out of her prison. She realized at last, that Nox had stripped her of her title, _Darth_.

She asked herself, "_Can he do that? He can't do that! Can he?_"

Nox said, in a calm voice, that did not hide the warning in his eyes, "I didn't hear you, _Zash_."

Zash had finally mastered her fury, and replied, "Yes, Master."

There was no irony, nor resentment, in her tone when she answered him that time, but Nox knew she was furious.

Darth Nox, smiling wryly, said, "Good. Then go."

Shahn and Zash left Nox's presence to accomplish their task.


	45. Korriban

Korriban

After the conquest of the Arcanum space station, Nox ordered the station's crew to move it into orbit over Korriban. However, it wasn't just a matter of simply _pushing a button_. The navigator had to determine what orbital speeds applied to Korriban for a given altitude above the planet's surface. Then the station had to be accelerated to that specific speed.

As it was, when the order was given, the Arcanum had been anchored, dead still, in deep black space. It was parked in a starless, dust filled region between two spiral arms near the outer rim of the galaxy. The navigator had to plot precisely where over Korriban the station would exit hyperspace and re-enter normal space.

The Arcanum space station was massive. It couldn't just show up unannounced out of nowhere and park itself into orbit. The navigator had to be sure there would be no space traffic, nor satellites, in the space he intended to occupy. So, he had to coordinate with traffic control officers in orbit over Korriban to clear a section of space for the station.

Once the station achieved orbital speed, and once it's gigantic hyperdrive engine was ready to expend the enormous amount of energy needed to move the massive station into hyperspace - without breaking the station into pieces, the order was finally given - _to push the button. _The whole affair took sixteen hours, from the time Nox issued the order _to move_, until the actual execution of his order to _get going_ was accomplished.

Since the time that _the button had been pushed_, the station had been in hyperspace traveling for two days before it had finally exited hyperspace, had finally reentered normal space, and then, had finally established its orbit over Korriban. Nox had an entire day, before the Dark Council held its meeting, to proclaim his audacious victory over Acina to all of the Sith Empire. He made good use of that time, essentially telling the whole galaxy of his military operations to capture the Arcanum, and of Acina's cowardly flight from battle, to avoid facing him.

* * *

This news was carried, faster than light could travel, throughout the Sith Empire. It was broadcast over the hyper-wave relay transmitters scattered throughout, in deep space. Even the Republic news agencies picked up on the Imperial news broadcasts and rebroadcast the story throughout the Galactic Republic, albeit with their own spin on it.

Valion Pyron was seated at a conference table with three other moffs in attendance, as they listened to the news announcer giving an account of Nox's crushing victory over Acina. They watched the holo-video of the giant space station, clearly visible over the skies of Korriban, as the space station orbited the planet.

Darth Nox was extraordinarily careful not to mention the Emperor, and made sure that the news agencies all reported that the station was a secret research and development facility hidden in deep space operated by '_The Offices of The Sphere of Technology_.' Everyone knew that was Darth Acina's Sphere of Influence. Every account of the story broadcast, reported the fictitious name for the station that Nox had fed had them, '_The Technocratium_.'

No mention, at all, of the Emperor nor of his treasures aboard the station had been uttered. Nox didn't want to embarrass the Emperor. The only ones who knew the truth were Darth Nox and his people, Darth Acina and her people, all of the Dark Councilors and whoever they told among their own people - and _The Emperor_. Yes, _Vitiate_ knew, too.

As the news man spoke of Nox's daring conquest of the space station, Valion Pyron looked at each of his colleagues in turn, a tiny hint of a smug smile colored his skeletal features, as the other moffs knotted their brows with worry. They all knew that Darth Nox had heard of their gossip about his coming demise, and that the dark lord would have something to say about it to them.

Pyron saw that his benefactor had hid the fact that it was the Emperor's space station, so he made no mention of it to his peers. He played along with the fiction that the station belonged to Acina.

Moff Pyron enjoyed watching the other moffs squirm in their seats when he commented, "Tomorrow is the Dark Council meeting. I think they'll ask Acina to report on the progress of her research projects aboard that space station."

He chuckled at his joke, and let his grin widen as the moffs watching the broadcast with him, shook their heads in disappointment at Acina's failure, and in regret that they'd backed her against Nox.

Pyron knew what they were thinking. He could see it in their eyes.

He asked them, "What gifts do you think will appease _him_, I wonder?"

Upon hearing that, his three colleagues realized that he would _not_ be appeased so very easily. They had spoken ill of him publicly. Darth Nox would likely make their lives very difficult, if the dark lord didn't order their deaths, outright.

Their own benefactor on the Dark Council, Darth Acina, had been dealt a crushing blow. She had been terribly weakened in the eyes of the Dark Council, and all of Sithdom. Now the moffs had no one to shield them against Darth Nox's wrath, should he choose to unleash it on them. The three moffs realized they'd have to bear the consequences of backing the wrong dark councilor in their power struggle.

Moff Pyron suggested, "I _could_ say something to _my benefactor_, _Darth Nox_, on your behalf. But what would I get out of that?"

Moff Pyron, twisting their arms, and holding the specter of near certain death over their heads, negotiated his way to the top of the chain of command of the war effort, second only to Darth Marr who was on Korriban preparing to attend the Dark Council meeting. Thus, Moff Valion Pyron removed his three greatest rivals, vying for the next posting for Grand Moff, when Grand Moff Regis decided to retire. Pyron had guaranteed himself the post, when it opened.

* * *

In Acina's abandoned quarters, Darth Nox listened to after action reports from Darth Eviscerous.

Darth Eviscerous reported, "General Iissak did not initially accept my terms for surrender, because the general was waiting for orders from The Emperor's Hand whether to surrender. When The Hand had given _their_ consent, General Iissak immediately contacted me to accept my terms for surrender. Immediately after surrendering, General Iissak issued orders to his security forces to cease firing and to lay down their weapons where they stood, and to await further orders."

Eviscerous went into the details of how he had the prisoners rounded up and confined to their barracks, until their arrival over Korriban.

He then reported, "Upon reaching orbit over Korriban, I started the process of withdrawing my forces from the Arcanum. I've also ordered what's left of the Arcanum's security forces to re-arm themselves and to return to their normal duties.

"Strangely, for some reason, the station security forces are reporting missing several hundred weapons, and many, many dozens of crates of various munitions and explosives. Dark Lord, I have already investigated the anomaly, and can confidently assure you that the missing equipment is not a result of misdeeds committed by my forces."

Darth Nox kept a neutral expression, but he thought to himself, "_I wonder if Eviscerous knows that it is my people's doing?_"

Finally, Eviscerous told Nox, "All of my forces will be gone from the Arcanum within the next three hours, Dark Lord."

Eviscerous, seated at the conference table in Acina's private suites, along with Lord Shahn and Zash, concluded his report by offering praise and adulation to Nox.

"Congratulations on your complete and utter victory over your vile enemy, Dark Lord! I am proud to be in your service. You have returned honor and glory to yourself, and to all of your servants who have faithfully remained at your side!"

After thanking Eviscerous, Nox replied, "The real battle starts tomorrow, in the Dark Council chambers. I expect I'll meet with The Emperor's Hand and The Emperor's Wrath, there."

Zash commented, "No kidding! If The Wrath doesn't kill you, you will emerge as the supreme power on the Dark Council to be feared. You'll have your hands full with Darth Marr, though."

Nox waited quietly, looking pointedly at Zash, until she acquiesced and belatedly added, "Master," to the end of her statement.

Then Nox replied, "I have plans for dealing with Darth Marr, but it is Darths Vowrawn and Rictus I need to be careful of. They won't like being left out of what I have in mind."

* * *

The following morning, Nox and his entourage came down to Korriban's surface from the Arcanum in his new ship. Andronikos had piloted the ship to it's landing in a tiny spaceport that was no more than a single dust covered, windblown landing pad on the outskirts of the Sith Academy grounds. Nox and his followers boarded speeders, driven by Imperial Guardsmen, that had been waiting for their arrival. They left the landing pad behind and began their long trek, through the red rock strewn sands of Korriban, to the Sith Academy.

Andronikos got off the ship to stretch his legs, as it were. He just wanted to be able to say that he had walked on Korriban. As he walked around the launch pad, he saw graffiti scratched onto a corner of the tiny spaceport landing pad.

"_Yehw'reh'nomai, Mandalore bounty hunter, was here. I captured my bounty head, here!_"

Andronikos looked around carefully, making sure no one was around to see. Then he took out his vibroknife and carved his name onto the landing pad, too.

"_Andronikos Revel, the meanest, most audacious pirate that ever navigated the hyperspace lanes was here, too. Be glad I wasn't here, when you was, to kill your crew and steal your haul!_"_  
_

Andronikos had a good laugh at what he'd written, and then wondered, "_Damn! How long will it be before the next non-Sith sets foot here to see what I scribbled?_" Then it occurred to him, "_Damn! That Yehw'reh'nomai guy could have scrawled that a hundred years ago!_"

A closer inspection of Yehw'reh'nomai's graffiti revealed to him that it was done quite recently. Andronikos had enough fun on Korriban. He got back in his ship, and launched it back into space. He would remain in orbit to await Nox's call for his return to the planet's surface.

Andronikos got out of the pilot's seat and told 2V-R8, "Take over the controls and maintain our orbit. Report any anomalies."

2V-R8 moved to go sit in the Pilot's seat, as it replied, "Yes, Captain."

Andronikos sat in the navigator's seat and stared out the canopy at Korriban's red curved horizon contrasted against the blackness of space. He started thinking about what would happen next.

Andronikos figured, "_When Nox returns to the ship, he'll want to go back to Dromund Kaas. Then maybe, after dropping Nox off there, if the Boss doesn't have another job for me, I might be able to take my crew to Nar Shaddaa, to sell off our loot._"

He and his hired cohorts had plundered the station, starting with Acina's private quarters. They looted priceless art - _over a thousand years old and thought to be lost!_ Among the other items looted, also from Acina's quarters, were exquisitely crafted jewelry, priceless, enormous uncut gem stones, a few were almost as big as his fist!

They also took antique furniture. Most of the pieces of furniture were between three hundred and five hundred years old, while three of the pieces were well over seven hundred years old. The antiques were all in serviceable condition. He and his mercenaries had looted much, much more from Acina's quarters.

When he and his Mando crew had ventured out from Acina's quarters, however, they had to go down a twenty minute turbolift ride to the central hub of the station, and then through the station's command center, before reaching the rings of corridors and spaces in the station's main levels.

Wandering the wide, battle damaged corridors, they'd also come across several hundred blaster rifles and dozens of crates of various ordnance. Those were left scattered throughout the station, when Acina's security forces had surrendered and left everything lying around, unguarded.

Before the station had gone into hyperspace, Andronikos returned alone to Acina's quarters. He went back to move the ship from Acina's private hanger, while the Mandalorian mercenaries gathered the weapons and ordnance they had stolen, taking them to a hanger the pirate and the mercenaries had agreed to ahead of time. The Mandalorian mercenaries readied the looted military hardware, packing them in crates to be loaded onto the ship.

Forty minutes later, Andronikos arrived with the ship to the hanger bay. This made loading the weapons and ordnance onto the ship a whole lot easier than hauling it all through the station, and then back up that spire with that ridiculously long turbolift ride.

The force shield for Acina's private dock was placed under repairs by the space stations' facilities maintenance crews and their droids. They worked around the clock to have it ready for Nox's departure from the station. He didn't want to don his space suit again, and he didn't want to take a hideously long turbolift ride down from Acina's quarters, to the main decks of the space station.

Darth Nox certainly would have balked had he known he would also have to follow up the long turbolift ride with a long ride of several tens of kilometers, on one of the station's _slow wheeled_ taxi droids, just to reach the hanger bay which the mercenaries had chosen to stage their loot - _just to board his ship!_

When the space station came out of hyperspace and established its orbit over Korriban, Andronikos piloted the ship back to Acina's private hanger bay. On the next morning, Darth Nox boarded his ship for his descent to Korriban's surface. He complained loudly about the ship's spaces being overfilled with crates, but Andronikos assuaged the dark lord's anger.

Andronikos told the dark lord, "Just wait 'til you see your cut of the take, Boss. It's just a little discomfort, but when you see the credits, it'll make it all worth it. I promise."

Nox's own quarters aboard the ship was the only space that didn't have stacks of crates filled with loot in it. So that's where the dark lord stayed until the ship touched down on Korriban. Khem Val had also complained and groused at Andronikos about the crates filling his quarters.

He growled at Andronikos, "Pirate! Why is all of this trash in my way?! Where are my spacious quarters?!"

Andronikos promised, "Khem, it'll all be gone when we take it all to Nar Shaddaa."

Another problem facing Andronikos was the wood floors. He hoped that the dark lord would not notice, but they had become terribly marred by all of the crates and medium duty droids that had been commandeered to load the ship.

Andronikos would have to have the floors reconditioned, and then have some sort of durable scratch resistant transparent cover put on top to protect the floors from further damage. He figured it wouldn't cost too much to get that done. He decided he'd better eat the cost and pay for it from his cut of the haul. Andronikos didn't want to draw Nox's attention to this.

His cut was going to be forty percent, the mercenaries were also getting forty percent. The remaining twenty percent was going to Darth Nox, as tribute. Nox always got a cut of whatever business Andronikos drummed up.

With Darth Nox, his apprentices, and the Dashade on Korriban, Andronikos was free to get some work done. He'd been busy making calls, lining up buyers to take part in an auction of the loot. A firm date for the auction had yet to be set, but it didn't hurt to advertise.

It was during one of those calls when the potential bidder told him about the Galactic Republic Chancellor's assassination at the hands of a female Chiss bounty hunter.

Andronikos blurted out, "Yeah. Darth Nox didn't like the Chancellor laughing at him with the whole galaxy watching. So, he had him taken out."

He mentally kicked himself, "_Dammit! When am I gonna learn not to let my mouth run away on me?!_" Then he tried covering up the lie, telling the potential bidder, "That's just the gossip that's going around. Don't go putting too much stock into that."

It had been some hours since he finished his calls. He just needed to take his cargo and crew to Nar Shaddaa to unload his haul and to start taking bids. For now, though, he had to wait in orbit over Korriban for Darth Nox to summon him. Andronikos, sitting in the Navigator's seat and looking at red Korriban's curved horizon, thought of the dark lord, down on the planet.

"_If the boss gets killed today, I retire from my government job and get a beautiful new ship as my retirement bonus!_"

He smirked at his own joke about his service to Nox, "_Government job, eh?_"

In the back of his mind, though, Andronikos was hoping all would turn out well for the dark lord. If Nox's bid for vengeance and power ended in disaster, Andronikos knew that he'd have to live the rest of his days in Hutt controlled space. Life in Hutt space was rough. You could run out of money and friends fast in Hutt controlled space.

He'd done a lot of business in Hutt space, but he never stayed longer than it took to complete a deal, so he'd managed not to get any Hutts mad at him. In the end, running to Hutt space was a viable choice for him.

Before his pirating days, Andronikos was an officer in the Republic Army. He had deserted and turned to piracy in a most spectacular fashion. He'd organized a mutiny on his base, killed anyone that got in his way, plundered the base armory and munitions depot, and then took off in a stolen Republic military starship. So, yeah. There was a price on his head in Republic space.

Ever since he'd met Nox, back when Nox was _Kallig_, he'd done a lot of jobs for the Sith lord. Over time, Andronikos made a name for himself. So, in Imperial space, he became a well known agent of Darth Nox. He had organized and carried out numerous acts of sabotage, political assassinations, and blackmail through his network of thugs and gangsters, all in Nox's name.

If the dark lord lost, then Nox's enemies would hunt Andronikos down. He figured it would be his own network of thugs that would turn on him for whatever price would be put on his head.

Sitting in the Navigator's seat and considering the consequences, he said aloud to himself, _"I'd be hunted down in Republic or Imperial space the rest of my days. Nowhere else to go but Hutt space."_

2V-R8, in the Pilot's seat, asked, "Where in Hutt space shall I pilot the ship, Captain?"

Andronikos, startled into the realization that he'd been thinking out loud, nearly shouted, "Never mind that! Just maintain orbit as I had instructed before!"

The droid replied, "Yes, Captain."


	46. Power Struggle In The Council Chamber!

Power Struggle In The Council Chamber!

Darth Nox walked with Darth Eviscerous at his side. Lord Shahn, and the very bitter and title-less Zash walked behind Nox and Eviscerous. Eviscerous' three apprentices walked behind Zash and Shahn. Finally, Khem Val walked behind the whole procession of Sith in the hallowed ancient red stone halls of the Sith Academy on their way to the dark council chambers and its antechamber.

The antechamber had been separated from the dark council chamber with a durasteel wall some time in the distant past, but it was thousands of years after the pyramid had been carved from the mountain. The council chamber doors were set into the metal wall. 

Upon arriving to the antechamber and stopping before the dark council chamber doors, Nox turned to face his servants and expressed his most fervent desire.

"I hope she's here. I want to kill her _so very badly_."

Khem Val asked his master, "When you draw your saber to strike her down, may I fight by your side?"

Nox told him, "I'm Sorry, Khem. Only dark councilors are allowed in the council chambers for this meeting. However, this time I've been given special permission to bring _Juuldis_ in with me." Then with a wry grin on his face, he promised Khem Val, "But do not worry, I'll be sure to bring out Acina's carcass, so that you may feast."

Khem Val nodded his head and said, "Thank you, my master. I look forward to devouring that one."

There were other apprentices and followers, standing or sitting in the antechamber. They clustered in groups waiting for their masters - the other dark lords already inside the council chamber. These apprentices and followers had heard what Nox had said, and Khem Val's reply.

Some were repulsed by the thought of the Dashade feasting on a dead human, while others found it darkly humorous. There were a few, however, who carefully minded their thoughts, lest their thoughts betrayed them, but they exuded fear instead. Darth Nox felt their sudden anxiety.

Khem eyed Zash and warned her, "If you betray my master and side with his enemy, I shall devour you before you have had time to enjoy your treachery."

Zash replied angrily, "Silence, beast! I tire of your disrespect!"

Before Khem Val could reply, Nox said to him, "Do not worry about it, Khem. _Juuldis_ will not betray me. She fears me, as she should."

Zash's fury twisted face was already hidden by her black hood, which she wore up, to conceal her features. She also labored to conceal her black emotions from Nox. Zash looked down at her feet and willed herself not to rage.

She knew she could not stand against Nox, Eviscerous, and Shahn together. Zash knew Khem would happily snack on her arm, too. It took a great effort, but she succeeded in keeping silent and remained still. Darth Nox knew she had to have become enraged, but she masked her emotions with The Force, just as well as she hid her face with the hood of her black cloak.

Zash gave Nox nothing to criticize. Instead, he scanned the antechamber and saw a few whom he thought might be Acina's remaining top ranking Sith servants and apprentices. They stank of fear, and it caught his attention. They huddled together, their hoods up to conceal their faces. Nox could sense their anguishing fear peak, as he turned to look their way.

He told Eviscerous, loud enough to be heard by all in the antechamber, "Don't start any trouble with Acina's people while you're here waiting for me to come out. However, should they start trouble with you, be sure to utterly crush them."

Eviscerous, looking at the group of Sith Nox had eyed, replied so that he too could be heard, "We will not bring shame to your name, Dark Lord. We shall scatter their innards all over the floor and pin their carcasses onto the walls."

Turning to Zash, Nox said flatly, "Come with me, _Juuldis_."

Zash followed Nox silently into the council chambers. The two Imperial guardsmen, guarding the entrance to the dark council chambers, opened the doors for the two to enter. Nox proceeded through the doors with Zash following closely behind.

* * *

Nox marched across the large open floor to his seat. His seat was at the far end of the council chamber, opposite from the doors he'd entered. His seat was the second to last on the row of seats on the left side of the council chamber.

Nox looked across the chamber as he strode the length of the huge floor to his seat. There, on the very last seat of the row on the right side of the council chamber, he saw Acina. She sat eying him with a hate filled scowl.

Nox thought, excitedly, "_Here in the flesh and not by holo!_ _So, those pathetic fear drenched losers were her apprentices after all._"

As he climbed up the dais to his seat, he told Zash, "Stand beside my seat on the left side of it and await my instructions."

Zash bowed her head and replied, "As you say, Dark Lord."

She didn't want to call him _Master_, allowing herself that bit of defiance.

The seat to the left of his was vacant. It had belonged to Darth Jadus and later to his daughter, Darth Zhorrid. They were the overseers of _The Sphere of Sith Intelligence_ before their downfall and the dissolution of Imperial Intelligence.

The Dark Council was housed in a chamber at the apex of the huge mountain sized, red stone pyramid that was the main structure of the Sith Academy. Its ancient chamber walls were made up of huge, red stone slabs arranged vertically, with ancient texts carved into the surface of the stone slabs, written in the dead language of the ancient Sith. Polished dark grey durasteel plates made up the flooring that covered the worn and chipped stone blocks that used to be the original floor. Polished durasteel girders along the walls, and the corners of the dark council chamber, reinforced the stone slabs that held up the single ancient stone slab ceiling.

The Dark Council, which met in this hallowed chamber, was made up of twelve powerful Sith who ruled the Sith Empire in accordance to the Sith Emperor's will. Their twelve seats were arranged six seats facing the other six, with each row of seats in a slight curve, like parenthesis, so that the dark councilors could look at each other without turning their heads too much.

Nox eyed Acina across the great open floor of the council chambers.

Nox thought to himself, "_It would be so easy to leap across and impale her with my sabrestaff!_"

Zash felt, and easily fended off, a few of the dark councilors' attempts to penetrate the barriers she had set up to protect herself, to protect her mind, and to conceal her true identity from everyone there.

She whispered gleefully to Nox, "They can't wait to learn who I am!"

Nox had felt it too, and a tiny curl lifted at the left corner of his lips. Nox moved his head subtly, looking at the dark lords in turn as he tried to determine which of them had attempted to pierce Zash's mind.

As Nox scanned the council chamber with his eyes and with very slight head movements, he also took note of who'd shown up in person and who'd attended via holo. Across the great chamber floor from him he saw that the seat next to Acina was also vacant. Darth Ravage was present in his seat, two seats down from Acina. Darth Mortis sat next to Ravage, and next to Mortis, was another vacant seat.

On the opposite end of the row from Acina was Darth Aruk, appearing via holo. He feared Nox greatly, and regretted his earlier involvement with Acina's failed plan to discredit Nox. He didn't know whether Nox knew of his earlier involvement, thus his appearance via holo.

On Nox's row of seats, besides the empty seat to his left, on his right was Darth Rictus, an old but very powerful and wise Sith. He was both feared and respected by all of the dark councilors. Even Nox, as reckless as he was, was cautious when dealing with Rictus.

Next to Rictus sat Darth Marr. He had taken over leading the Sith Empire's war effort against the Galactic Republic when Darth Vengean, the dark councilor who had initiated the war against the Galactic Republic and had led the Empire to a great string of victories over the Republic, had been assassinated. Next to Marr was another vacant seat.

A little concerned, Nox thought to himself, "_Four dead dark lords, and no one to replace them, yet? How is the Empire being led?"_

Forgetting the danger to the Empire, he added with venom in his thoughts, "_Acina will be the fifth dark councilor killed, and her seat, too, shall become vacant!_"

On the opposite end from Nox was Darth Vowrawn. He was the second oldest among the dark councilors. He was also revered, as well as thoroughly feared.

Nox thought to himself, almost in awe of Rictus and Vowrawn, "_You don't live to be ninety years or almost eighty years of age and remain on the Dark Council, unless you are terribly powerful and fearfully ruthless._"

With that, Nox wondered for the umpteenth time, if either Rictus or Vowrawn were actually pulling Marr's strings. However, that thought quickly evaporated from Nox's mind as it had each time he'd thought it. Darth Marr was Darth Marr.

He was both powerful and enigmatic. Marr, despite the tendencies of the Dark Council to be fragmented in its leadership of the Empire, kept the council together, and actually _led_ them. Nox envied that power. That's what he wanted, to be _the one who led!_

Darth Marr finally spoke, "With all dark councilors present, or attending via holo, let us call the Dark Council meeting to order."

Darth Mortis said, "Seconded."

Marr said, "If there is no dissent, the meeting is called into order."

Marr paused briefly, looking around the council chamber for dissenters.

Then he continued, "The first order of business is a special introduction of Darth Nox's new apprentice. If there are no dissenters, then..."

To Nox's displeasure and disgust, Acina spoke out, "I dissent."

Marr asked, "What reason have you for your objection?"

Acina, wanting very much to ruin whatever it was Nox intended to accomplish, spoke as though it was a phenomenal waste of time.

"We all have acquired apprentices that we've felt were special. There is no need to spend our precious time on such a frivolous matter. Let us not waste it, pandering to some cretin's ego."

A few of the dark lords chortled, while others quietly rolled their eyes, at Acina's blatant attempt at provocation. Nox did not allow himself to be baited, remaining silent.

Darth Ravage, speaking over the giggles, countered and admitted, "Frankly, I'm curious. I want to see what's so special about _this apprentice_ that Nox would even dare think to ask the introduction be added to our agenda."

Vowrawn, looking to his left past both Marr and Rictus, and eying Nox speculatively, said, "If I'd come across a new apprentice that was as spectacular as that, I would have hidden him from view of my rivals. Instead, it seems Darth Nox feels it is to his advantage to let us all see who his apprentice is. I second Darth Ravage's motion to go forward with the introduction. I too am curious."

Darth Marr, facing Acina, seated across the open floor from him to his left, spoke flatly, "Darth Acina, your dissent has been noted, but Darth Ravage and Darth Vowrawn have moved to go forward with the introduction, and there appear to be no others to support your view."

After pausing to scan the other dark lords for additional dissenters, Marr turned to Nox, on his left, and said just as flatly, "Darth Nox, you have the floor."

Darth Nox turned his head left to look down at Zash, who stood below him next to his dais, and said in a low voice to her, "Do not disappoint me. Go to the chamber floor and impress them."

Zash did not reply to Nox. She merely made her way down a few steps to the expansive chamber floor as Nox raised his voice to introduce her to the dark councilors.

"Allow me to introduce my old master, and now my newest apprentice, Darth Zash."

Nox carefully watched as some of the dark lords leaned forward in their seats. Acina's face was filled with utter disgust, but she could not help but keep her eyes on Nox's apprentice as she walked to the center of the council chamber floor.

Acina wondered, "_Is she the one who slaughtered my people? I'll kill her after she finishes her introduction, then I'll Kill her master!_"

The dark councilors all had varying takes on a different line of thought, however.

They all thought to themselves, "_What nonsense is this?!_" Or, "_What does he hope to accomplish with this foolishness?_" Or, "_He will pay for this insult!_"

Darth Marr instantly regretted letting Nox have his way with this foolishness. His anger was rising, as was Ravage's.

Vowrawn simply thought of Nox, "_He's lost his mind._"

Acina, was too focused on her fury and hatred of Nox to understand the implications of what was about to unfold in the dark council chambers. She simply laughed at what she, too, perceived as Nox's folly. Her light laughter could be heard, barely audible throughout the council chamber.

Acina, looking at the faces of the other dark lords, was enjoying the disgusted feelings radiating from her fellow dark lords. She enjoyed their looks of disgust, all of it aimed at Nox. She decided to stay in her seat and not kill Nox's apprentice, so that he could stew in his monumentally embarrassing blunder, as she had thought of it.

Zash took note of the incredulity and rising tensions among the dark lords as she made her way to the center of the dark council chamber floor. She began to imagine all of the mischief she could wreak, and the damage to Nox's reputation, if she rendered a performance that would make him look the fool. However, she had decided that she wanted to rock them to their very core, if only to see what came of it. Zash also understood that she could gain a great deal from this _parlor trick_ herself, if she played her cards right.

Zash dropped the barrier that hid her presence and allowed her aura to radiate from her mind unhindered as she addressed the dark councilors in her most charming manner.

"Dark lords, I am awed by the representation of _such_ power collected here in one place! The rulers of all of the Sith Empire, and the most powerful Sith anywhere! I feel privileged to be re-introduced to you all!"

As she spoke, she had to turn around to make eye contact with the dark councilors who sat on Nox's side of the chamber floor.

"Please allow me to serve the Sith Empire, as I had done once - _before_ my untimely departure from the world of the living - at the hands of my _old apprentice_."

Zash took delight in Nox's displeasure displayed in his features as he eyed her menacingly. Not only did she not call him 'master,' but she referred to him as her old _apprentice_.

* * *

The dark councilors there were all familiar with Zash, except for one. They were all present when Darth Thanaton still lived and held a seat on the Dark Council, except for one. Some of them stood from their seats in shocked disbelief. The others who'd remained seated, only leaned forward in their seats, but they were also in ap state of deep disbelief.

These dark lords were there when Thanaton brought her forward to be tried for the high crime of murdering a Darth, her rival, Darth Skotia. They were there, laughing at Thanaton, when she proved _her innocence_ to them, thus embarrassing Thanaton. They were the one's who conferred the title, _'Darth,'_ onto Lord Zash, humiliating Thanaton even further. All but one of them was there.

These same dark lords all knew that Nox, then known as _Lord Kallig_, murdered _his master_, Darth Zash, in the Dark Temple - claiming _self defense_. They were present when Lord Kallig later defeated Thanaton in the very same chamber in which they sat now.

They observed as Darth Marr conferred Lord Kallig with his new title, witnessing his becoming Darth Nox and witnessing his ascension to the Dark Council. They were present when he took Thanaton's place as _Dark Lord_ over _The Sphere of Ancient Knowledge_.

The dark councilors were present for all of this, except one. She did not see any of this, nor did she know of any of this. Acina came after all of this. They were all deeply aware of Nox's ever growing power, his ever growing influence, his ever growing reach across the galaxy. Acina did not grasp the significance of Nox's rise in power.

Now, what was once thought of as impossible had come to pass, _in their minds_. Nox had somehow crossed into the realm of the gods and had brought back a long dead Sith lord from beyond The Force! Acina did not understand the sudden change in their emotions. The dark councilors' feelings of disgust and anger against Darth Nox, had changed into fear and awe, in an instant!

The proof of Darth Nox's god-like power stood before them all. Darth Zash's spirit was obviously occupying a different body, but they all knew there was absolutely no way it could have been anyone else. It was Zash's aura, her presence, that told the dark lords that without any doubt, the woman standing in their chambers was indeed Zash!

Ravage, Mortis, Marr, and Vowrawn left their seats and approached her where she stood. Rictus, who had remained seated, turned his head to carefully regard Nox.

A tiny smile spread across his face as he thought, "_First the Emperor_'_s space station, and now this? How long before you think yourself ready to face the Emperor, Darth Nox?_"

The others carefully examined Zash using The Force to search for deception, and to verify that she was indeed _Zash_ and not some well trained impostor.

Darth Vowrawn accepted the truth of what The Force screamed at him, "_This is Darth Zash!_"

He turned to return to his seat, walking unsteadily. The shock of what he had witnessed was too great. As he walked, he turned his head to carefully regard Nox. Nox had on a smirk. His smugness told Vowrawn that this was the exact reaction Nox had anticipated from the dark lords.

Then his next thought was, "_How has he managed to bring back the dead? What does he intend to do with this power?! Has he also learned to become immortal?! Will he challenge the Emperor?!_"

Acina was lost. She'd only heard of Zash, through gossip, years before. Acina had never met her personally. She had heard only bits and pieces of Zash from conversations with various Sith lords, over the years, before her own ascension to the Dark Council a little over a year ago.

But now, it was painfully obvious to her that the dark lords, who'd rushed forward to examine Zash more closely, were deeply impressed. Acina could see that Nox had managed to get the Dark Council to eat from his hand. However, the significance of Darth Zash's presence only hit her when she heard Mortis' question to Marr.

"Has Nox learned to defeat death? Has he really brought back a long dead Sith Lord?"

Fear gripped Acina's heart when she heard Mortis' query. For the first time Acina understood why the others were thrown into such chaotic fear and admiration for Nox.

She asked herself, disbelievingly, "_Zash was dead?_"

Darth Marr didn't answer Darth Mortis' question. How could he? He didn't know the answer either. Instead, Marr focused on the significance of what had just transpired in the dark council chambers.

* * *

It was an open secret that Nox envied Marr's influence over the Dark Council. Nox had made many subtle, and a few not so subtle, attempts to insinuate his will over the Dark Council, defying Marr each time. However, each time, Marr maintained his leadership over the Dark Council, successfully keeping Nox in his place with pressure from the other dark lords.

Marr had guessed that Acina had probably incorrectly interpreted Nox's repeated failure to stand over the Dark Council as weakness, and that it was probably why Acina had blundered when she thought she could elevate herself by further embarrassing Nox. Instead, she only ended up becoming an object lesson that demonstrated the extent of Nox's true power. Nox had taken a planet and a space station from her possession, and he had nearly killed off all of her powerbase.

"_All killed in a single day!_" Marr thought to himself.

Marr surmised that it was very likely she would die this day, in the dark council chambers. Her Kaggath with Nox was decidedly a one sided blood fued.

So, when Acina had arrived for the meeting, he wondered to himself, "_Does she not see the danger to her own life?_"

However, for the first time, Marr had to consider that Nox's meteoric rise in power, both politically and in The Force, truly threatened his own position. He considered Nox's loud and flamboyant ruthlessness. The manner in which he'd disposed of both Achelon and Harkun was still the talk of the day among the Sith everywhere in the galaxy. Now, news of Nox's conquest of a space station, under Acina's stewardship, was spreading like a fire through dry brush pushed by a hot dry wind in a drought stricken prairie.

Marr thought of Nox's military prowess, "_He had doused the smoldering flames of rebellion on Taris with his own lightsaber, and conquered a space station with his forces!_" Marr marveled, "_He found a single cloaked space station hidden in darkness and dust somewhere in the galaxy, led a small navy to it, invaded it with a small army, and conquered it. All in less than three days!_"

Everyone on the Dark Council knew when Nox had left Dromund Kaas. The day of the slaughter of Acina's powerbase marked his departure from Dromund Kaas. Everyone on the Dark Council also new when Nox had arrived on Korriban. The day a space station suddenly appeared in orbit over Korriban marked his arrival.

Marr repeated to himself, "_All in less than three days!_" Marr also considered Nox's unbridled fearlessness. "_Does he not fear the Emperor? He took the Emperor's space station! Surely, Nox had to know that the Emperor would have something to say about that?!_" Finally, Marr saw before him Nox's latest feat and thought, "_Nox has defeated Death, itself._"

For the first time in Marr's long tenure on the Dark Council, he began to fear another dark councilor. Marr had to acknowledge that Nox could very well displace him as the de facto head of the Dark Council. Add to that an encrypted message he received the day before, a few hours after the space station appeared over the skies of Korriban.

The cryptic message simply read, "_Moff Dolus has stepped down as second in command of Imperial Offensive Operations against the Galactic Republic. Moff Pyron has been appointed as second in command of Imperial Offensive Operations against the Galactic Republic._"

There was no explanation as to why the change in command had occurred, but he reminded himself that Pyron was Nox's Vassal, on loan to him for the war effort against the Galactic Republic. Nox's grip on even Marr's own domain, _The Sphere of Imperial Defense_, had become evident to him.

He thought, "_Having Zash as his apprentice makes Nox almost unbeatable!_"

Marr decided that he had to do something about it, and quickly.

He said to his fellow dark lords on the floor gawking at Zash, "Let us return to our seats. We can question Darth Nox as to his methods."

* * *

As everyone returned to their seats, realization of what Nox had accomplished crashed into Acina's mind like a berserk rancor that had had its thick hide poked with a stick. Real fear began to fill her being.

Acina thought to herself, "_Nox is now in a position to rule over the Dark Council! They all fear him!_"

She knew, however, something that none of the other dark councilors knew. It was her last hope. The Hand and The Wrath were on their way to the council chambers to confront Nox.

Darth Mortis began to ask Nox, "How did you..."

Nox cut him off and said brusquely, "I will not divulge my secrets. Do not ask."

Ravage shouted angrily, "Damn you, Nox! You show us this power, this ability to bring back the dead! Now you won't share this knowledge?! We could use this power to bring back our fallen! It could bolster our numbers which, by the way, shrinks by the day!"

Ravage, pointing at the empty seat next to his, was flummoxed by Nox's unwillingness to share this knowledge, but no one else was. They had expected Nox to greedily hold on to his secrets. In his place, they would have done the same, they knew.

Marr, although expecting it from Nox, said with some frustration, "It is enough! Darth Nox has the prerogative of whether to share."

Darth Nox commanded Zash, "Darth Zash, leave the council chambers and wait for me with the others."

Zash bowed to Nox and thought, "_At least I get my title back._" Nox had called her '_Darth,_' in the presence of the Dark Council.

However, Darth Marr was not finished and made his move. He called to her.

"Darth Zash. Wait."

She stopped and turned to face him.

Nox, with an expression of deep displeasure, said, "Darth Zash's introduction is over. We've used up more than the allotted five minutes. It is time to move to the next item on..."

Marr cut Nox off, and said, "Another matter has come up. It may involve Darth Zash."

Nox raised his voice, and with incredulity in his tone, asked Marr, "I've just now re-introduced her to the Dark Council. How can a matter come up that involves someone you had no idea was _back from the grave?!_"

Marr surprised Nox and got many heads in the Dark Council to turn sharply to look at him as he addressed the Dark Council in his reply.

"Darth Acina has shown a terrible lack of judgment, starting a blood feud she could not win. She has mismanaged the reconstruction of Taris, exposing the Empire to possible untold humiliation before the Galactic Republic. She has lost most, if not all, of her powerbase in her Kaggath with Darth Nox. She is incapable. She is weak. She is unfit to remain on the Dark Council."

Acina was deeply shaken. She did not see that coming at all. The other council members had varied reactions from surprised gasps, to low chuckles.

Vowrawn was quick to understand what Marr had in mind and chimed in, "She's even shown her inability to protect the Emperor's property. She lost The Arcanum, with all of the Emperor's treasures in it to Darth Nox." He turned to Acina and asked, "Didn't The Hand entrust its safe keeping to you?"

Acina kept silent. She was at a complete loss as to what to do or say. At that moment, Acina knew her time had come to an end. She shook her head, thoughts of recrimination and disgust roiling through her mind.

Ravage was still furious at Nox's unwillingness to share.

Pointing at Acina, he asked, with disgust tinging his tone, "Nox, why couldn't you kill someone so pathetically weak as she?"

At first, Nox bristled at Ravage's dig at him, but he quickly recovered and said, "I wanted to completely and utterly humiliate her. I wanted to completely destroy her entire powerbase. Now the time has come for me to kill her. It was pure luck that brought Acina here to me, in the council chambers. It has saved me the hassle of looking for her."

Marr said pointedly to Nox, "Killing Acina to end your Kaggath will have to wait."

Nox turned his head angrily at Marr's comment, but his demeanor quickly changed when he heard what Marr said next.

"I move that we vote to remove Acina from her post on the Dark Council."

Even as an idea of what Marr was up to began to take shape in his mind, Nox shouted, "Seconded!"

Marr polled the councilors.

"All in favor?"

Everyone except Acina voted, shouting, "Aye!"

Marr said, "Seven votes for Acina's removal from her post. The motion is carried, and is effective upon the end of the council session today."

Acina was too deep in shock to realize that Aruk had also voted to have her removed.

Then Marr shocked everyone except Vowrawn, who'd been waiting to see the look on Nox's face with what Marr said next.

"The seat for _The Sphere of Technology_ will become open at the end of today's dark council session. Since Acina's powerbase is destroyed and scattered, she has none that can ascend to her post."

Nox, finally understood what Marr was up to. He started to shake his head in the negative and started to speak but Marr continued, ignoring Nox's attempts to protest.

"Therefore, I nominate Darth Zash for the council seat."

Nox bolted to his feet to protest, shouting, "No!"

However, Vowrawn, using The Force, outshouted Nox, declaring, "I SECOND IT!"

Mortis added his voice to the fray, shouting, "Let us vote on the matter, now!"

Nox, standing on the dais in front of his seat and facing Marr, said with deep fury in his voice, "Do not interfere with my powerbase, Marr! She is _my_ apprentice, and I will _not_ let you have her!"

Darth Rictus spoke in a low tone so that not everyone in the council chamber could hear.

"Darth Nox, you will lose your apprentice, but if you are thoughtful about this, you may find an opportunity to gain a powerful ally."

Nox spoke again, ignoring Rictus' counsel, "I will not tolerate the Dark Council meddling with my powerbase!"

Darth Vowrawn then spoke, "Darth Nox, Darth Marr is actually doing you a favor. Even if you keep your apprentice, it will not be long before she finds an opportunity to kill you. You cannot contain her power forever. You have to sleep - _sometime_."

Furiously, Nox turned away from facing Rictus, Marr, and Vowrawn. He ended up facing Zash on the council chamber floor.

Zash was astonished! She laughed gleefully, clapping her hands together near her bosom during the exchange between Nox, Rictus, and Vowrawn. Then she looked at Nox, who'd been eying her with deep anger and frustration. She made a face at him. He could only shake his head in furious disbelief as he resumed his seat.

Marr polled the dark councilors.

"All those in favor of bringing Darth Zash into the Dark Council as the head of The Sphere of Technology, say Aye."

The councilors voted almost unanimously, shouting out their vote.

"Aye!"

Marr counted and said, "Six votes for Darth Zash's elevation to the Dark Council. The motion is carried. Darth Zash's term is to begin at the close of the dark council session, today."

Vowrawn was the first to congratulate Zash, followed by Marr, and then Mortis. Nox's countenance was filled with the vile rage he felt for Marr as he shook his head while looking at Zash. He was out maneuvered by Marr at the zenith of his triumph! He had his most powerful apprentice taken from him, mere moments after introducing her!

Nox, furious that he had been outmaneuvered and blindsided by Marr, could only manage to turn his head towards Darth Marr to say, "Do not interfere with my powerbase again, Marr. It was the same mistake that Acina committed that started this whole mess she's found herself in today."

Marr replied, as he reasoned with Nox, "The best, and the brightest among us are needed to lead the Empire. With Darth Acina's removal, a need for new and competent leadership has been presented, and with Darth Zash's return, this need for new and competent leadership has been met. I am sorry, Darth Nox, but it was a necessary step to ensure the stability of the Sith Empire."

Marr was not at all sorry, and Nox knew it. Nox said nothing as he turned his head to face forward. He saw Zash looking at Acina, still occupying her dark council seat.

Not wanting his kill taken from him too, Nox turned to Marr again and spoke in a voice loud enough for Marr to hear but not loud enough to reach across the council chamber floor.

"I'm going to kill Acina now. Don't get in my way."

With that, Nox used The Force to leap from his side of the dark council chamber to the other side, where Acina sat. Both ends of his sabrestaff ignited as he leapt.

* * *

Acina had locked eyes with Darth Zash. She had resolved to herself, "_If Zash wants this seat, then let her kill me for it!_"

She was taken by surprise, yet again, as she just barely caught sight of Nox suddenly leaping into the air, deep red beams growing from both ends of the hilt of his sabrestaff in one hand, and electricity arcing between his fingers on his other hand.

Acina jumped down from her seat on the dais and dashed across the chamber floor, grabbing her lightsaber and igniting it as she ran. She turned just in time to see Nox land on the dais in front of her seat. She quickly reached towards Nox with her free hand and issued forth a terrible torrent of Force lightning at him.

Nox used his sabrestaff to deflect the lighting, stabbing one end of his sabrestaff into the dais to ground his weapon and channel the electrical energy into the metal plated floor of the council Chamber. Then he dashed forward to close the distance to Acina. He thrust his sabrestaff at her as he charged in the attack.

Acina used The Force to knock Nox back. He tumbled end over end as he flew backwards. He used The Force to balance himself and landed on his feet, and then immediately stretched both hands towards her.

Acina prepared to deflect his lightning attack with her saber, but instead felt her life energy quickly draining from her being. She staggered, losing her balance, as she used The Force to break Nox's grasp on her life-force. When she regained her footing, she returned her eyes to Nox and saw that Nox had healed some of his injuries caused by her Force Push attack.

While Acina guarded herself against another such attack from Nox, he used The Force to pull her towards him. Acina found herself flying towards Nox as he, again, thrust his saber to skewer her with it. However, Acina acted quickly and used The Force to push herself up and over Nox's head - out of reach of his sabrestaff.

As Acina sailed over his head, tumbling, Nox spun around and leapt into the air as Acina came down. He viciously kicked her exposed back, amplifying the power of his kick with The Force. He tried to break her back, but failed.

Acina had guarded against his attack again, but she screamed from the pain to her back and grunted when she slammed onto the chamber floor near her seat on the dais. Nox landed on his feet, several meters from where Acina slammed onto the arena-like floor, face down.

Acina concentrated on The Force and used it to block out her pain. She sprang into the air, and as she flipped about to face Nox, used a Force technique that caused Nox to collapse onto the floor in agony. He felt his heart being crushed. Acina landed on her feet and approached Nox.

With each step that she ran towards him, the crushing pressure on his heart and now his lungs increased. Nox ignored the pain in his chest, concentrating on The Force in the first seconds that Acina began her counter attack, and broke her crushing grip on his heart and lungs. Scrambling to his knees, Nox reached to Acina and used the Dark Force healing ritual, again, to drain her life force and to heal the damage done to his heart and his lungs.

Acina, feeling her energy draining rapidly again, tried to break free from his grasp. Nox had already changed his attack, however, and used The Force to pull her towards him, but as she flew towards him, he flung her away, towards the far end of the council chamber. As she tumbled in the air past him, he executed a powerful Force Push against her.

As he had done in the forests on Taris, which had caused medium sized tree trunks to snap in two, and large boughs to sheer away from the larger trees, Nox's push had such force that it broke Acina's left femur, and over extended her right shoulder, as her arm was blown backwards at subsonic speeds. Her broken leg bent in a funny angle as she tumbled away in the air, screaming.

Some of the dark lords had to use The Force to shield themselves from Nox's blast wave of Force energy, as it swept through the council chamber. Her lightsaber flew out of her hand and was sent hurtling, twirling in the air towards Darth Rictus. He sat still, with his arms on the armrests. With a flick of his left index finger, the lightsaber came to a sudden stop in front of him. It turned off, and then gently landed on the armrest beside his left arm.

Acina smashed into the metal wall, above the doors, at the far end of the council chamber. The chamber echoed with the resounding boom of Acina's impact.

In the antechamber, the apprentices waiting for their masters were surprised and startled by the loud thud on the wall above the doors behind the two Imperial Guardsmen keeping watch of the doors. They all became alarmed and went on guard, clutching their lightsaber hilts, but leaving them still attached to their belts. Everyone eyed everyone else, tensely, with suspicion.

Inside the council chamber, Acina had rebounded off the wall. The wind had been knocked out of her, and she landed with a loud smack onto the metal plated floor. Nox didn't wait to give Acina a chance to regain her feet. He just wanted her dead.

He poured forth such a storm of Force Lightning that her clothing caught fire, and her flesh and armor smoldered with thick grey smoke pouring off of her. Acina screamed from the agony of it. The stench of burnt flesh and the stench of the burning materials of her clothing and armor began wafting throughout the council chambers.

Nox kept at it, pouring forth his terrible wrath and hatred in the form of Force Lightning at Acina. His face contorted with the terrible rage he felt, as the image of the two red lights on either side of the single blue light flooded his mind. His fury rose higher still, as did the voltage and amperage of his Force Lightning attack.

Darth Mortis nodded his head soberly, as he bore witness to Nox's considerable command of the Dark Side of The Force and the power it gave him. His eyes flicked to Marr across the chamber floor. Darth Marr, his face hidden behind his cybernetic mask, sat as still as a stone carving, as he observed the end of Nox's and Acina's Kaggath.

Out of utter rage, Nox used The Force to lift her high off the floor and sent her hurtling through the air to the other end of the council chamber. She crashed onto the floor on her side, and slid several meters before coming to a stop - facing Nox's council seat. Nox walked away from the doors to the opposite end of the council chamber, where she lay.

Acina's broken leg was sticking out from her in a bad angle, and her torso was twisted in a bad way. He stepped in front of her and stood before her broken form, so that his back was to his dark council seat several meters away. At that moment however, a few of the dark lords had their attention taken from the duel between Nox and the woefully outmatched Acina. Their attention went to the council chamber doors, as three Sith walked into the council chambers.

Darth Ravage's eyes widened as he whispered to himself, "_The Hand. And The Wrath!_"

Darth Acina watched, helpless, as Darth Nox stepped in front of her smoldering body. She tried to will herself to move. She tried to use The Force to make her body move, but she had sustained too many major injuries.

The pain of her injured back, broken leg, over extended shoulder, and the terrible lightning burns were too intense. She could not stand the agony, and all she could manage were low moans of anguished misery.

Nox's voice shook with the rage that he felt, as he told his mortal enemy, "Acina. You've tried to take everything from me and have failed over and again. You've corrupted two of my servants, turning them against me. I found the traitors, Achelon and Harkun, and destroyed them both and eradicated their followers. I thought I had taught you a lesson when I took two of your servants, and took Taris from you...," Nox paused to take in a breath, and then screamed out in utter fury, "BUT THEN YOU MURDERED MY CHILDREN!"

Thinking of his dead children threatened to break his heart with grief and take him out of his fury. Nox paused, struggling to hold back his tears, as he pushed their memory out of his thoughts. The dark lords, watching from their seats, could clearly feel the pressure of Nox's oppressively monstrous aura. The Dark Side energy emanating from him was immense, and it gave a few of the dark councilors pause as they were forced to consider that perhaps they were no match for him, either.

When Nox had settled down a bit, he focused on his hated enemy again. His wrath and hatred burned furiously again.

He returned his attention to Acina's twisted and now unconscious form on the floor.

He told her, "I had resolved to utterly ruin you. I crushed your powerbase. I took the Arcanum from you, and _I_ have caused your fall from the Dark Council! Now, too, _I_ shall be the cause of _YOUR DEATH_!"

Nox, holding the hilt of his weapon in both hands, raised his sabrestaff vertically. Just as he was about to thrust it downward, to impale her through the side of her rib cage, he caught sight of a red flicker of light in the corner of his right eye. Nox leapt straight up into the air, and used the force to push himself backwards. As he backward somersaulted through the air towards his seat, he saw the bright red lightsaber as it twirled horizontally back to its owner's hand.

Nox thought to himself, exclaiming in his mind, "_The Emperor_'_s Wrath!_"

Nox landed on his feet and looked intently at The Emperor's Wrath, as The Wrath gazed upon Nox, seemingly emotionless. Nox deactivated his sabrestaff and returned it to it's holder on his utility belt. The Wrath kept his weapon ablaze.

Nox bowed his head politely, and asked, "Are you here about the Arcanum?"

Darth Vowrawn's jaw dropped at Nox's nonchalant audacity, as a tiny smirk spread on Rictus' lips. No one else on the Dark Council moved. The two Sith known as _The Emperor_'_s Hand_ stepped forward and spoke to Nox.

One demanded of Nox, "What has possessed you to act so foolishly? Did you actually believe you could steal the Emperor's treasurers _for yourself?!_"

The other commented, "No! No treasures, but he took! _From the Emperor, he took!_"

Nox, still breathing hard from the exertions of battle, and still suffering from the pain in his chest, replied as calmly as his broiling emotions would allow him.

"I was consumed by deep unquenchable rage at Darth Acina. She sought to corrupt my powerbase, and she murdered my children. I sought only to humiliate her. I sought to expose her weakness. And I sought vengeance. I have accomplished all three.

"I have had no desire to avail myself of the Emperor's treasures. Please, take back the Emperor's station. It is his."

The Wrath pointed his saber at Nox and exploded in utter fury, "YOU THINK THAT IS _ENOUGH?!_"

He looked as though he would attack, but The Hand _both_ whispered something to The Wrath, which no one else could hear.

Then a little more coolly, but still furious, he added, "A simple, '_Ooops! I was only mad at Acina? Here's the Emperor's station back?_' Is that _it?!_"

Nox's chest still burned with pain, and he still breathed hard, but it was excitement and not exhaustion that was the cause of his breathlessness. His emotions, already at a rapid boil, now flashed into superheated steam. Nox was as ready as he could be to battle the Emperor's Wrath.

He tried to reply calmly, but his fury and excitement managed to percolate to the surface.

He answered tersely, succinctly, "Yes. That is it, entirely!"

Nox had the presence of mind to add a lie which had some truth in it, saying, "It is Acina's fault for involving the Emperor's station in our kaggath. She ran to it to hide from my fury after she'd killed my children. I simply followed her there."

It was true that Acina had run to the Arcanum to hide from Nox's inevitable retaliation, but Nox hadn't known that. He had decided on his own to capture the Arcanum. Acina's presence aboard the Arcanum was an added bonus.

The Wrath walked to within ten feet of where Nox stood, still pointing his saber at Nox. Nox readied himself to dodge and then to strike at The Wrath. However, The Wrath unexpectedly deactivated his saber and lowered his weapon.

His explosive fury had abated, but his anger still seethed and smoldered just beneath the surface. Nox was deeply impressed by the sheer power of The Force that radiated from The Wrath, like the heat from a durasteel foundry against his face.

Nox thought, "_His power is immense! Yet, the Emperor_'_s power is orders of magnitude greater than his!_"

The Wrath shouted at Nox, "My hatred of you is matched only by my fury at you!"

He pointed a finger at Nox's face and said, "Your only salvation was in not violating any of the vaults, and in pointing out Acina's cowardly foolishness in leading you to the Arcanum."

He turned away from Nox and walked towards Acina. He stopped halfway and turned to face Nox again.

He added, "I was going to kill you. You live, simply at the whim of the Emperor. It seems you have attracted _his_ interest. Now I'll be taking his property back from you, thief!" Pointing a thumb over his shoulder at Acina, he added, "and I'll be retrieving this _pile of filth, too!_ He wants to _have a word_ with her."

The Wrath turned and walked to where Acina had managed to sit up. She had regained consciousness and summoned the strength to administer several doses of Kolto to herself. Her pain began to become manageable - _somewhat_.

Then, without warning, Acina used The Force to brace her broken leg and sped past The Wrath and lunged at Nox with both hands free. Nox ignited his sabrestaff and prepared to cut her down. He began feeling his life draining from his body.

He used The Force to break free of her attack, and thrust his sabrestaff to pierce her heart, but The Wrath used The Force to pull Acina back to him. He caught Acina with one hand, and then threw her onto the floor with such force, that her impact could be felt in the seats of the dark councilors who watched. Her impact had caused a slight dent on the floor.

Acina had not died, however. The Hand, anticipating The Wrath's rough handling of Acina, used a Dark Force ritual that kept her alive despite the massive trauma her body had suffered.

The Wrath picked Acina up and tossed her onto his heavy armored pauldron like a sack of grain.

As he walked out of the council chambers with Acina over his shoulder, The Hand both turned to Face Nox and spoke to him.

One Sith, amusement in his tone, said, "The Emperor has his eyes on you, Darth Nox. You have attracted his notice."

The second Sith, also amused, said, "_Calling back the dead? How curious!_"

The first Sith continued, "He will watch you closely. Your fate is unclear, Darth Nox."

The second Sith confirmed, "Your path is obscured, _Life Bringer._"

The Emperor's Hand turned to follow The Emperor's Wrath out of the dark council chambers. The doors closed shut behind them.

Nox turned to look at Acina's vacated seat but was robbed of the satisfaction when he saw Zash seated in it. A mocking smile lit her face when Nox had turned to look her way. Nox merely turned about to return to his own seat.

As he climbed up the dais to his seat, he tried hiding his need to catch his breath. He needed time to recover from what Acina had done to him, especially that last sneak attack, but he hid his weakened state from his dark lord rivals - that is, from everyone on the Dark Council.


	47. After The Smoke Has Cleared

After The Smoke Has Cleared

As soon as Nox resumed his seat, Darth Marr said, "The next item on the agenda..." 

Darth Ravage began to applaud. He'd been truly impressed with Darth Nox's prowess in single combat against Acina. Each clap of his hands was slow and measured, loud and echoing throughout the council chambers. Soon he was joined by Mortis, then Rictus.

When Rictus began to applaud, the rest of the dark councilors joined in. To Nox's astonishment Zash stood in ovation, followed by Vowrawn. Soon all of his fellow dark lords stood in ovation, all except Marr. He sat still and silent as stone.

Nox rather enjoyed the attention.

He nodded his thanks and waved his hand at a few of the councilors as he thought, "_This! This marks the beginning of my dominion over them!_"

He didn't get to kill her, but he thoroughly trounced Acina before the Dark Council.

More importantly, Nox survived the fury of the Emperor. Even more importantly than that, the Emperor had acknowledged Nox's power, _though it was a ruse_. The Emperor's acknowledgment had given him even greater credibility with his fellow dark lords. He hadn't expected _that_ from the Emperor.

He thought, "I hope he's not the jealous type, or I won't last long."

He knew perfectly well the Sith Emperor was the jealous type. He resolved to move carefully and to not give the Emperor any excuse that would allow him to act against Nox.

Thinking to goad him, Nox turned to Marr and said, "It's not everyday one can survive the Emperor's anger and receive the adulation of one's rivals for one's victory over a hated enemy."

Marr replied in a flat tone, "Enjoy it while it lasts."

Nox's tone hardened as he warned Marr, "I will not forget your meddling with my powerbase, Marr. A time will come when you will have to stand aside to let me lead. You are stale and slow. I will throw our empire forward, where you have kept us stagnant."

Marr merely kept silent. Nox felt nothing from him, but he knew Marr had to have been rankled by Nox's pointed words.

Nox turned his attention to Zash, carefully watching her as the dark councilors ended their applause and resumed their seats. He knew Zash would not have stood in ovation if there wasn't something she wanted. He knew everything she ever did was after careful calculation.

She saw an opportunity in the occasion and acted. Still, Nox felt it was a nice touch, her standing in ovation. It actually led the others to fully acknowledge his power in a way he knew they would hate, by giving him adulation. Losing her as an apprentice in the manner that he did still stung him hard, but he decided to hear her out later after the council meeting had adjourned.

Marr resumed the Dark Council's business, announcing, "The next item on the agenda is whether to grant dominion over Taris to Darth Nox."

Laughter erupted from some of the dark councilors and it proved to be contagious as other dark lords joined in the laughter.

Mortis said to Marr, "The planet is already his. Let us move on to the next order of business."

Marr stubbornly persisted, announcing, "If there are no objections, then the motion is carried and Taris is now officially within the dominion of Darth Nox."

Nox decided to tear down the two apartment buildings he had resided in while on Taris, in Settlement Number Three, and to build in their place a sprawling mansion and villa all over the top of that hill. He decided it would have swimming pools and lush gardens, and a gymnasium.

He wondered to himself, "_What have they renamed that settlement to, I wonder?_" Nox decided, as he continued his line of thought, "_I'll name it, Ashara._"

* * *

The Dark Council had adjourned many hours later. The matter Acina had brought forward, namely Nox's unfitness to remain on the Dark Council, was struck from the agenda. Nox had proved through his actions, beyond any doubt, his absolute fitness to rule on the Dark Council with the rest of them.

With all of the official business completed and the Dark Council adjourned, the doors to the council chambers opened, and the dark lords began to exit. The nervously waiting apprentices joined their dark lords, with relief that nothing had befallen their masters, as the dark councilors left the antechamber on their way out of the Sith Academy.

Nox came out of the council chambers and approached his entourage. Shahn Lunn, Eviscerous and his apprentices all approached Nox. Khem Val on the other hand approached Acina's apprentices.

He stood before them and commanded, "Bow now before Darth Nox, the conqueror of Balmora and Corelia, the Lord of Taris, and the ruiner of Acina!"

Acina's apprentices counted themselves lucky not to have been killed by The Wrath as he took their master away to answer to the Emperor for her shameful failures. She was draped over his shoulder like the carcass of a game animal that had been hunted and killed, though she still lived.

The Hand had stopped to tell them, as one of them pointed to Acina's utterly defeated form, "That is the handy work of Darth Nox. _Not_ The Wrath. Your master was defeated by her rival."

The other Sith said, "Acina will answer to _him_."

Everyone who'd heard that could only surmise that _'him'_ was The Emperor. The Hand turned and left the master-less and shamed apprentices unharmed as well. After seeing their master so shamefully taken away, they resolved to stay for the specific purpose of asking Nox's mercy. They bowed before Nox and groveled at his feet.

"Great and terrible Dark Lord, send us away! You shall never see us again!"

Zash shouted, as she emerged from the council chambers, "Do not bow to Darth Nox! Bow to me, instead! I am your new master!"

Khem Val drew his vibrosword and leapt into the attack against Zash. To Khem Val's astonishment, however, Darth Nox used The Force to pull Khem Val back to him. Khem Val landed in front of his master, staggering backwards a bit, but regaining his footing.

He turned to face Nox, and said in bewilderment, "Master, your slithering servant defies you! She must pay with her life!"

Nox told Khem Val, "She is no longer my slithering servant, Khem. She is now my equal on the Dark Council. You may not raise your weapon against her."

Khem Val was shocked into astonishment. Astonishment gave way to absolute fury, but he perfectly understood there was Sith politics at play. Khem resolved not to bring shame to his master.

He kept silent as he deactivated his vibrosword and returned it to its bracket on the back of his body armor. Shahn Lunn, Eviscerous and his three apprentices, were also shocked to hear of this turn of events. It was most certainly unexpected.

When Zash saw that Khem Val had been contained, she turned to the bewildered and befuddled apprentices and told them, "You serve me, now. As weak and pathetic as you all are. You are all that is left that knows anything about the operations of _The Sphere of Technology_. Be thankful that you still serve a purpose. Earn your privilege to live and to continue in my service."

One of the remaining four apprentices stood and said, "But you're just a former Jedi, how can you..."

Zash, smiling in her most charming manner, placed her hand gently on the apprentice's shoulder and said, "My dear, it seems you didn't understand me."

Before he could reply, he instantly died, collapsing to the floor in a heap.

She said to the last of Acina's Sith followers, "I forgot to tell you. I am Darth Zash, whom Darth Nox has brought back from beyond The Force. My spirit is simply in a new body. He and I are the only ones who know how to perform this ritual, by the way."

Nox said nothing. He realized that at the very least, she would keep the secret safe. However, Vowrawn had been exiting the council chambers at that very moment and overheard what she'd said.

Nox realized that Zash had just elevated herself in Vowrawn's view, as someone as fearful and equally dangerous as Nox, and Vowrawn was a very powerful and influential dark councilor after Rictus and Marr. Nox said nothing. He realized that any plans he had to force the Dark Council to submit to his leadership would have to take her into account. With that in mind, he figured that he knew what Zash might want from him.

Remembering Rictus' counsel, and sensing that Zash was after something, Nox said to her, "Darth Zash, let us find a conference room to discuss terms for our new alliance."

Zash turned to face Nox, a flirtatious smile lighting her face, and said, "Darth Nox, you are so forward! But you've read my mind."

Nox admitted, to himself, that he'd need her influence to help him with his own designs over the Dark Council, but he also realized that she would likely begin planning _his_ assassination as soon as she consolidated her power. He resolved to be the one to strike first.

* * *

A triumphant Darth Eviscerous and his victorious apprentices, a quietly proud and powerful Lord Shahn, and the brooding monster, Khem Val, stood in the red stone slab corridor on one side of the conference room door. On the other side of the polished durasteel door in the corridor, stood the surviving three apprentices, formally Acina's, but now servants of Zash. The three survivors were filled with recrimination, self loathing, and untold shame. They looked how they felt, broken.

Eviscerous said, "I almost pity you three. If I were you, I'd go somewhere to be alone, so that I may end my miserable existence."

His apprentices chuckled at the barb.

Shahn was meditating and didn't here the barb. She was taking a huge risk, eaves dropping on her master, but she wanted to know what the two were plotting. Using The Force, she projected her consciousness into the conference room to listen in.

Khem Val merely stared off into space.

He sighed and said with quite some frustration, "Cruel fate has taken my greatest enemy and has lifted her high above my reach!"

* * *

Nox and Zash sat on either side of the conference table, at the end furthest from the polished metal automatic sliding door. They spoke in low tones to ensure no one outside the door would overhear what they had to say to one another.

Zash began the negotiations, demanding of Nox, "I want unfettered access to the archives and libraries of the Imperial Reclamation Service."

Nox countered, flatly rejecting her demands, "You'll get normal access of the Library of Ancient Knowledge, as any dark lord would. Nothing more." Then he warned her, saying, "If I catch you overstepping your bounds, and infringing my domain - including conducting archaeological digs, I shall bring it up to the Dark Council to have you sanctioned."

Ignoring Nox's warning, Zash simply moved on.

She demanded, "I want any ancient technology that you discover, so that we may reverse engineer it, and if needed reproduce it for the use of the Empire."

Nox blinked, and leaned back in his chair.

He said, "That's reasonable, however, I will not give you any of the Rakata mind traps, nor any other technologies associated with it. Those technologies I shall keep in our vaults. Those shall remain secret."

Zash began to object, but Nox cut her off, spelling it out for her, "If that tech gets out, our secret will be found out. We'll lose quite a bit of influence, and perhaps gain new enemies, enemies that we _do not need to have_."

Zash remembered that the Emperor had also been taken in by their subterfuge.

Moving on, Zash demanded, "I want Shahn Lunn."

Nox flatly rejected her demands again, telling her, "No. She is my apprentice. I see her potential, as I'm sure you have."

Zash complained, "Our alliance is going to fizzle into nothing if I don't get something worthwhile out of it."

Nox finally made his play, "I'll include you in my plans to supplant Marr as head of the Dark Council."

Intrigued by Nox's tendency to think big, Zash asked, excitedly, "What? How?"

Nox outlined the basic points of his plan to her.

"I planned to woo Mortis and Ravage into joining me into coercing Marr to form a quartet power sharing leadership structure over the rest of the Dark Council. Instead of Ravage, I'll let you in on it."

Zash thought carefully. It had potential, but in the end she declined. Nox was surprised and quite a bit offended. It was a chance to gain more power over the Dark Council and over the Empire, and she turned her nose at it.

Nox chided her, heatedly, "You said you wanted something of _real value_ for our alliance, and I offered you a place in my new power structure. That isn't _good enough?!_"

Zash thought carefully.

"_I could let him go ahead with his plans, and let him find himself destroyed, but I still need Nox alive - for a little while, anyway."_

She spoke to Nox, as though giving her apprentice her final lecture.

"I'll give you one last bit of counsel. Think of it as a sincere gift to you for bringing me out of that prison."

Nox leaned back and prepared to listen.

Zash told him, "Kallig, you have done what none other has ever done in all of the history of the Sith Empire, since Dark Lord Vitiate became Emperor over fourteen hundred years ago. You took something from _him_. Even if you gave it back. You made him look weak.

"I am quite surprised that The Wrath didn't kill you. So is everyone else on the Dark Council. The Hand told you, you're being watched. They were not in the council chamber when we played our little prank, but somehow they learned about it.

"The Emperor has been taken in by our ruse, Nox. And he has _acknowledged your power!_ He did that in the presence of the Dark Council. That, more than anything, is what will give you untold influence over the Dark Council."

Nox took on a thoughtful expression as Zash continued speaking.

"If you try to change the structure of the Dark Council, don't you think the Emperor will perceive it as a grab for power, _from him?_ Especially now, since it seems to him that you've taken a step towards learning the secret to immortality. As it is now, I think you're on very, very thin ice, as far as Emperor Vitiate is concerned."

Nox thought to himself, _"Scrapped. One grand plan to elevate myself over the Dark Council."_

Nox thought carefully before saying, "I'll create a special account with privileges granting you limited access to a select portion of my most prized archaeological discoveries."

That's what Zash wanted, but she asked, "How limited?"

Nox said pointedly, "Quite limited, but worlds more valuable than anything anyone else on the Dark Council gets access to."

Satisfied, Zash made her offer, "Then I will work with you to increase your influence, as you work to increase mine. Without changing the structure of the Dark Council, we shall _both_ supplant Marr as the de facto leadership of the Dark Council."

Nox nodded, and said, "That works for me, but you haven't heard what I want in exchange."

Then he surprised Zash, telling her, "Your predecessor destroyed one of my estates, filled with some of my greatest treasures. As her successor, you owe me, fifteen trillion credits."

Zash burst into laughter, and then laughed even harder, when she realized that Nox was serious.

When she had stopped laughing, Nox said, "I'll accept the title and deed to her estate at the top of Kaas City Palace Tower - all three levels. I want all of the furnishings, art, and other treasures, trophies, etc. that she has in that estate as fair and just compensation."

Zash countered, "Your servant, Andronikos, already looted her treasures in the space station...,"

Nox interrupted, "Zash, a lot of that stuff was hundreds of years old, and thought to be missing. That was the Emperor's stuff, not hers."

Zash had on a look of astonishment, then asked quite seriously, "Why didn't you stop him? If you knew it was the Emperor's, why didn't you stop him?"

Nox replied, "The Emperor doesn't care about baubles and trinkets, Zash. If Acina could rummage through those items and play with them, then Vitiate didn't care about them."

Zash shook her head in disbelief, and said, "You truly are _most_ reckless, Darth Nox."

Zash said, "You're asking for too much."

Nox replied, asking dryly, "Then you really don't want access to parts of my secret library?"

Zash, shaking her head angrily, realized she had no choice but to accept Nox's counter demand.

She said, "You had better give me access to the good stuff, Nox."

He said, "I swear, you'll be amazed and thrilled by what I'll give you access to."

Zash, sealing the deal, said, "Then it's a bargain. I'll give you the title deed to all three levels of Kaas City Palace Tower, and all of the property contained therein."

Nox said, "Then it's a bargain. I'll give you access to a select portion of my secret library. You will be most impressed, Zash." He added, "Together, we shall work to elevate each other over the other dark lords, supplanting Marr as the leader - without changing the structure of the Dark Council."

Zash concurred, telling Nox, "Agreed."

Changing the subject, out of nowhere, Nox asked, "How did you do that? That thing where you tapped him on the shoulder and he dropped dead. I rather was impressed with that."

Zash, smirking, asked as she reached her hand towards Nox, "Would you like me to demonstrate?"

Nox looked at Zash as the prankster she was and said, "Fine. Don't tell me."

Zash laughed as she leaned back in her chair, and told him anyway.

Nox knew how to use that technique. He knew how to detect when it was about to be used, and he knew how to defend against it. However, he wanted Zash to explain it. He'd sensed Shahn's presence in the conference room, and he wanted to set a trap to test Shahn's loyalty to him.

Zash had also sensed Shahn's presence, but to her it was an opportunity to eventually set into motion a plot for Nox's assassination. Zash took the opportunity to show Shahn how to kill Nox.

Nox reminded himself that Zash was the master of manipulation and ruses.

He thought to himself, "_She hasn't even introduced herself to her new servants and minions, and she's already setting into motion plots and subplots to have me killed. And here I am, helping her do it._" He said aloud, "I think our business here is concluded."

With that, Zash stood from the table to leave, but she hesitated when Nox did not rise to his feet.

Nox told her, "Go on without me, I have some thinking to do."

Zash left her seat and walked to the far end of the conference table. Then she opened the door and exited the conference room.

* * *

Zash exited the conference room alone and immediately turned right, walking down the corridor. Her three shame filled minions dejectedly followed their new master as she left. Eviscerous quickly stuck his head in the door and saw Nox, sitting at the far end of the conference table, unharmed. He pulled back and let the door slide shut.

Khem Val didn't think to look after Nox. Instead, he looked hungrily at Zash, as she walked by him, without even turning her head to glance at him. He didn't want to shame his master, so he let Zash pass without incident.

Nox came out a while later. He'd been thinking on his latest agreement with Zash, and about her words of warning. He'd also reflected on his encounter with The Emperor's Wrath.

He thought, "_If that is the Wrath's power, how will I ever contend with The Emperor, himself?!_"

As soon as he'd come out of the conference room, Khem Val told his master, "My master, one day my bond to you shall be severed, and when that day comes, I shall not be shackled by restraint. On that day, I shall rip the flesh off the bones of that witch! I shall savor the vibrations of her screams in her throat as I sink my teeth into her flesh! I will let her die slowly as I dine on her entrails!"

Nox feeling a pang of regret and frustration from Marr's interference, said to him, "Khem, I completely understand how you feel."

Nox sighed and shook his head. He'd never imagined that things would end up the way they did.

Khem Val was touched by Nox's commiseration with him and declared, "My master, I stand at your side, ready to slay your foes and conquer your rivals! Command me, and I shall slay worlds!"

Nox replied without any irony, "I know I can count on you, Khem. For now, contact Andronikos and tell him I am ready to depart."

Khem Val replied, "As you say, Master."

While Khem Val fiddled with his portable holo-transmitter, Nox turned to face Eviscerous and regarded him.

He told him, "The name Eviscerous has had a good blooding! Now go out there and spread fear of my power to all of my minions. Let them know that Darth Nox is to be feared. There is nowhere in the galaxy that I cannot reach. There is nowhere to hide from my fury."

Looking intently into Eviscerous' eyes, Nox counseled him, "While you're at it, I won't mind if you become famous in your own right. Become stronger! Increase your power! The stronger my followers become, the greater my influence over the Dark Council becomes, the greater my potential for even greater heights becomes!"

Darth Eviscerous was taken aback by what Darth Nox had implied.

He asked himself in amazement, "_The dark lord has reached to Death and has defeated it. Will the dark lord reach even for the Emperor_'_s own throne?! If he can defeat Death, can he defeat The Immortal?!_"

Deciding at that moment to follow his dark lord to that end, Darth Eviscerous knelt on one knee and declared loudly, "My life for yours, Dark Lord! I will follow you to the very end! May I see it with my own eyes, Dark Lord!"

Nox smiled broadly, deeply pleased that his follower understood his final goal, and that his servant had pledged himself to follow him to that end.

Eviscerous' apprentices also quickly knelt and repeated their master's oath, "My life for yours, Dark Lord!"

Nox nodded, smiling in approval of their subservience to him, and said to Eviscerous, "Return the shock troop divisions and troop ships to Moff Pyron. Send my commendations to him for his part in my victory. Tell him I will contact him myself, in a few weeks, to present him his reward."

Eviscerous reported to his lord, "The plan to return his Gage class transports with his troops is ready to be set into motion, Dark Lord. They only await my return to the Carnage."

Nox ordered, "Then go."

Eviscerous stood, bowed his head, then turned to walk down the corridor with his apprentices following. Nox hadn't known, but while he and Zash held their negotiations, Shahn Lunn had told Eviscerous, his apprentices, and Zash's broken followers, Nox's fiction.

Zash's apprentices, followed their new master with great fear and trepidation, believing she had returned from the dead. And Eviscerous and his followers departed, having an elevated and reverent opinion of Nox, believing that he'd brought back the dead. Only Shahn, Khem Val, Andronikos, and Zash knew the truth.

Shahn thought to herself, "_If everyone starts to believe that Darth Nox had brought back the dead, then I as his apprentice shall enjoy even greater prestige. They'll think that one day, I shall be taught the ritual._"

Nox turned around and found Shahn, kneeling on one knee, with her fist planted on the red stone floor of the ancient corridor.

Nox thought to himself, "_Well, Shahn. Let's see how long you can last without trying to kill me._"

Aloud he told her, "You have done well Lord Shahn. Continue to bring glory to my name, and I shall reward you well. Even as I have punished you severely for your failures and your disobedience, I shall reward you grandly for your loyalty and successes. To prove this, I confer the title '_Darth_' onto you."

Shahn was taken completely by surprise. She did not expect this honor, but she hid her emotions as best as she could. Nox noted a bit of excitement from her, but it quickly vanished, though not completely.

He thought to himself, as he found it had become difficult but not impossible to read her feelings, "_Good, she's learning to hide her emotions._"

Nox continued with his impromptu ceremony.

"As virulent as a plague, and as deadly as a pox, you shall spread fear and dread to my foes, and shall expand my dominion throughout the galaxy. Rise, Darth Virulous!"

Nox had opted to choose her new name. He felt that it fit her subdued but insidious manner.

Shahn rose to her feet and said, truthfully, "Dark Lord, my life for yours! I will not fail you again!"

Nox nodded and said, "For now Darth Virulous, we shall return to my ship, and return to Dromund Kaas. There I shall begin planning for your release into the galaxy. There are many who must feel the withering heat of my vengeance. The Exchange Pirates..."

Virulous bowed her head and said, "As my master decrees."

As Nox walked passed her, he thought to himself, "_I hope I won't have to kill her too soon. She really shows promise._"

She fell in, beside Nox, as he walked past her. Khem Val brought up the rear, his eyes glued onto Shahn's back. He'd already begun to suspect her of treachery.


End file.
